Pasadena Central Library, West Wing

When it comes to Pasadena's Central Library, there might be no better tour guide than Dan McLaughlin, Librarian, Archivist and Pasadena historian. Lucky me, I asked him for a tour and he said yes. He even held my book, Act As If, when I took his picture. (Which I did not ask him to do but I wasn't going to turn him down.)

Dan is also an author of novels, plays and history books, two of which I purchased at Art Night. You may remember Pasadena Pursuit, the Pasadena Museum of History exhibit he curated across the hall from Ann Erdman's Mystery History.

I'm working on my new novel and it takes place in a library. It might even take place in Pasadena. For research and inspiration, I hoped to snoop around, above and behind things in Pasadena's Myron Hunt-designed, 1927-opened, 130,000 square foot Central Library.

Let's start with the library's west wing, which is way bigger than I imagined it could be.

When you enter the door west of the check-out desk where it says "Staff Only," a corridor takes you past a coffee room and several offices. Pretty soon you come upon this long room where books are being checked in and catalogued. I'm standing near the west end of the room. The windows face out onto the parking lot. Does the purple protect workers and books from the sun? The door at the far end opens onto the hallway that leads from the parking lot into the library.

We're on the second floor now, right above where I was standing when I took the previous shot. I hope the employees don't mind me showing their lounge. I think it's pretty nice. Very roomy and comfy, with a kitchen off to the left. The coffee room on the first floor is a lot smaller. This one's more like a full kitchen.

I never knew about this and it's hiding in plain view! The walkway leads from the lounge to the office pictured below. You can look north over the parking lot and to the mountains from here. Next time I'm at the library, I'm going to look up from the parking lot and see if I can spot it.

We're looking toward the mountains. More purple. I'm gonna go with sun protection.

Dan asked me to be careful about taking photos of library patrons. "We like people to feel safe here," he said, "we protect their privacy." I don't think you can recognize anyone in this photo of the Main Hall, taken from the second floor balcony looking east. The Hall's floor is cork, to reduce noise. The woodwork is quarter-sawn oak.

An interesting tale about the chandeliers: they're replicas of the ones Myron Hunt designed for the building. Other lights were installed in the 1960's "which obscured the beautiful ceilings," and no one knows what happened to the originals. But Hunt had designed the same ones for the Huntington Library, and these are copies of the Huntington's.

I took about a million photos and I'll post more. But I want to thank the library staff right now, and especially Dan McLaughlin. I had hoped to be inspired by my tour and I haven't stopped writing since.

Do you want an architectural tour of the Pasadena Central Library? Yes, you may have one.

Pasadena History

If you're a Pasadena history afficionado, two new exhibits at the Pasadena Museum of History are for you.

Try your wits against Ann Erdman, who curated the Mystery History exhibit. She poses the question, "Where are we? And what's happening?" pairing photos and items from the Museum's collection.

You know this one, surely? I hadn't known this had been saved I was thrilled to see it in person.

In the opposite gallery is Pasadena Pursuit, curated by Dan McLaughlin. Dan tests your knowledge of Pasadena trivia. Photos, historic items and ephemera are on display to enhance your experience (and maybe help you come up with the answer).

I was fortunate to go to the opening night reception. And what a photo op this was! I'm missing Dan, who was off being adored by his fans. But I've got three top Pasadena historians right here: Ann Erdman, Sidney Gally and Michele Zack. The history of the Dena is recorded in their many fine works. We're fortunate to have such dedicated author/researchers in our midst.

Poetry in a Train Station Bar

 

Ann Erdman asked me to follow up on Selfies, an event I attended September 3rd at Union Station's Traxx Bar. 

The best thing about it: we met some bright, smart people. The worst thing about it: a bar is not a great venue for literary readings. Some slob near us kept ignoring the readers and chatting away in full voice. A man at the bar took a phone call, with obvious concern that the person at the other end wouldn't hear him unless he shouted. (This was a fine moment, as poet Neil McCarthy took the microphone and wandered over to the bar, making the man's phone call even more difficult while the man was none the wiser. Catch Neil in a reading if you can. He is one hell of a poet, and his speaking was worth the whole evening.)

So, it had its moments. We authors were our own small but enthusiastic audience.

Just now I looked at Ann's blog to get her link. She posts a listing of all the great free things to do in Pasadena every week. (You should follow her blog.) The first thing on this week's list is a program at the library through October 9th called Dust, Drought and Dreams Gone By. It's about the Dust Bowl disaster of the 1930's.

You would think this would remind me of the drought we're having in California, but it reminded me more of my father.

He was born in 1916. In 1932 at the age of 16, he was the teacher at the local one-room schoolhouse, Fargo Dist. No 1. Everybody was poor where he came from in western Kansas.

As a boy he endured the Great Depression. As a young man he found work as a cowboy during those Dust Bowl years. In his late twenties he went off to World War II. It doesn't seem like he ever got to live for himself. He was always working for his family, or his country, or his kids. But he never talked to me of hardships.

He was a poet and a drinker, and he certainly would have appreciated a fine Irish poet holding forth in a drinking establishment. Maybe he worked so hard so I could enjoy such things for him.

Fun Fiction

A friend gave me a copy of a university-published "literary magazine." It's all short stories and poems. I've been reading it on the john. Most of the stuff is pretty good, though honestly, I'm not a big fan of the poetry. Some of it is obscure, even deliberately obfuscating, and that puts me off. But I liked a couple of poems in the magazine, and most of the short stories are well written.

The stories, even the poorly written ones, have one thing in common. It's as though the professor said, "Write about your most miserable experience. Child abuse, drug addiction, and/or rape will get you an A plus. And remember, no laughs!"

There are a few famous literary magazines that every writer wants to get into. I've tried to read them. I can't get through them. Too depressing. I don't know if all literary magazines are this way, just the ones I've read.

In fiction, a main character has to go through trauma. He has to have a strong need or we won't follow him. But I can't endure fiction that has absolutely no light in it whatsoever. It's one of the reasons I wrote Camelot & Vine. I like to learn when I read. I like to have to look up a word or check out a reference. But when I read I also want to enjoy myself.

It's not like I haven't experienced trauma. But I've already had therapy and I don't want to write about it.

In Camelot & Vine, you know from the beginning that Casey has problems. She's sleeping with a married man, she's failing in her work, and she has no relationship with her one surviving parent. Her history explains how she has become this person. Then she's thrust into an adventure she doesn't comprehend but must, in order to survive it. And it's dangerous and it's romantic and it's fun. At least, I think so.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with dire fiction, or highbrow poetry. These works require talent and perseverance to create, and they have an audience. I'm just not that audience.

So I did what I suspect a lot of authors do. I wrote the book I wanted to read.

*****

And now for something completely different!

FREE CONCERTS IN THE PARK ANNOUNCED THROUGHOUT SUMMER SEASON

Ann Erdman, Pasadena's former Public Information Officer, apparently can't just sit back and enjoy being (or drinking) a Lady of Leisure. She's helping the Pasadena Senior Center spread the word about free concerts:

You don’t have to be a senior citizen to attend free, family-friendly concerts at Pasadena’s Memorial Park band shell Tuesday evenings from 6 to 7 p.m. this summer, sponsored by the Pasadena Senior Center.

 * July 16 – The Salty Suites present a blend of toe-tapping Americana, bluegrass and folk music.

 * July 23 – Tumbleweed Rob and the Southwest Junction performs traditional western cowboy music with a country twist.

 * July 30 – Pasadena Summer Youth Chamber Orchestra performs historic and contemporary classical music.

 * Aug. 6 – The Folk Collection presents Americana music at its best, with songs made famous by Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and other greats.

 * Aug. 13 – The Perfect Gentlemen combine a cappella harmonies with humor to keep the tradition of Vaudeville alive.

 * Aug. 20 – Lisa Haley and the Zydekats is a Grammy Award-winning group that performs lively Cajun Zydeco music.

 * Aug. 27 – The Rock Bottom Boys present rock and roll hits of the ‘60s and ‘70s with a fun, hillbilly twist.

 * Sept. 3 – The Great American Swing Band will round out the summer concert series with the sounds of Big Band, standards, swing, rhythm and blues, jazz and Dixieland.

Bring a picnic or purchase food at the BBQ snack bar. Memorial Park is on Raymond Avenue between Walnut and Holly streets in Pasadena.

 For more information visit www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org or call (626) 795-4331.

Camelot Where You Are, #19

We return to the Camelot Where You Are photo contest (details below) with this entry from Ann Erdman:

"This is a knight in shining armor in my sister and brother-in-law's home in Bella Vista, Arkansas. I was inspired...to take a photo of the knight...with Lake Avalon in the background since Avalon plays such a strong role in the legend of King Arthur. The name of the lake is fitting because Avalon is where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged."

Thank you, Ann! (The lake and its mysterious island figure into many stories of Camelot, including mine).

**********

Enter the Camelot Where You Are photo contest by sending in a picture of your interpretation of Camelot where you are. 

It can be anything--a sign, a symbol, a plaything--whatever your imagination tells you.

It's easy to enter and anyone can do it.

Entry details are here.

Send in your photo, then be sure to vote over the coming weekend for your favorite of this week's entries. 

Each weekly winner receives a free copy of my new novel, Camelot & Vine, upon publication in October. 

Publication day, whatever day it turns out to be, will be the final day for entries. 

Next week we'll take a short hiatus from posting contest entries to do a regular blog week, 

host a guest author, and take care of business. 

Camelot Where You Are, #12

There are castles all over Pasadena's City Hall, but I never noticed them until I toured the place with former Public Information Officer Ann Erdman. This castle tops the lantern in the front entry breezeway. I posted a photo of it the day after the tour. Sort of.

Mister Earl took the bait. But I'm telling you, there's more where that came from.

Thank you, Mister Earl!

**************

Get ready to vote this weekend for your favorite entry in this week's installment of the Camelot Where you Are photo contest! We've been having a blast and we've got more photos coming next week.

Each weekly winner receives a free copy of Camelot & Vine upon publication, which I plan/hope/expect will be in October. Publication day, whatever day it turns out to be, will be the final day for entries. 

Send in your pic now! It's easy to enter and anyone can do it.  

Entry details are here.

Pretty Hall

Just because Ann Erdman is no longer Pasadena's public information officer doesn't mean she's no longer a fountain of Pasadena information.

Yesterday, Ann led a group of local bloggers on a tour of City Hall. We got an earful of history and an eyeful of one of our city's most beautiful buildings, if not the most beautiful of all. In this photo I'm looking straight up at the lantern in the main entry breezeway. And I do mean breezeway. Ann says it gets windy in there, yet though sometimes this lantern sways quite a bit, it's original to the 1927 structure and has never come down. Yet.

There's something else about the lantern. I'm not going to tell you what. But if you went down to City Hall and took a closer look, you might see it.

Be sure and vote for your favorite Camelot Where You Are photo from this week. (The poll is at the upper left of the blog.) The winner will receive a free copy of Camelot & Vine upon publication. We'll have Zen Monday tomorrow, and follow that with more contest entries!

Poo Dah

Due to unforeseen circumstances I wasn't able to make it to yesterday's Doo Dah Parade. That's lousy because yesterday's parade was, to me, the most important one ever. The Grand Marshall was Pasadena's outgoing public information officer and my friend, Ann Erdman. This year's Doo Dah Queen is also a friend. She's Dianne Patrizzi, the high priestess of flumwhatery, Princess Haha, Queen Patrizzi Intergarlactica.

So I don't have a photo of this year's parade. I took the above photo at the 2008 event. It gives you an idea of the parade's exuberance if not the parade itself, which is a massive crowd of insanity, music, tortillas and non sequitur. If the Tournament of Roses Parade poses the question, "Are all Pasadenans well-organized, pretty and wholesome?" the Doo Dah Parade answers, "Well no. No, we are not."

So, poo. I didn't make the parade. But there's video! Patrizzi had her well-deserved moment in the sun on a glorious day. And Ann, I hope, will always be involved with Doo Dah, which is brought to us by the Light Bringer Project, thank goodness. Because every town must have its flumwhatery.

If you're viewing this post on http://bestpasadena.com/, you are viewing a pirate site. This post was originally posted on pasadenadailyphoto.blogspot.com. Come on over! We'd love to have you. In the meantime, don't worry, we've got the law on it.

Free Mulch 'til Eternity

Our street is still lined on both sides with piles of tree branches, although we can see the clean-up approach and it looks like the crews will get to us this weekend if the weather holds. It's been fun, but I guess it'll be nice to have street parking again.

Few members of the relevant Pasadena city staff have had much sleep these last two weeks.  I've spoken with sanitation workers on garbage pick-up rounds, streets workers repairing damaged street lights and electrical workers doing that stuff they do with the wires. Everybody's been working long shifts, trying to put the city back together again. They're tired but still going, still keeping their spirits up as far as I can tell. At least nobody's snapped at me. Honestly, I'd be so nasty by now if I'd been working 12 hour shifts for 16 days straight. They are amazing and they're not finished yet.

Because, you know, GAME. PARADE.

If you're a regular here at PDP you know of at least one tireless city staff member who's been keeping us informed since the early morning hours of December 1st: Ann Erdman, Pasadena's Public Information Officer. Thank you, Ann. You're the best.

I've received more information from Ann's office--four more press releases over the last few days. I'm going to edit them down here to the most pertinent stuff.

The first one is in the "better late than never" category. Ann was on time, just--I wasn't. Fortunately the weather wasn't too bad yesterday. Today we may not be so lucky.

Topics of the press releases include, in this order:
more storm warnings
a fund to replace our lost trees
debris pick-up and dumping
free mulch! dude!

Questions answered. Contact information. Scroll through and find what you need.


#######

CITY OF PASADENA PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE
NEWS FOR RELEASE:
December 15, 2011
5:34 PM
MEDIA CONTACT: Ann Erdman, (626) 744-4755

COMMUNITY ADVISED TO PREPARE FOR SECOND WINDSTORM

Following a ferocious thunderstorm that swept through Pasadena this afternoon, a second windstorm with predicted gusts of up to 60 miles an hour is expected to hit Dec. 16 and 17.

Pasadena Public Works Department crews will be working all weekend to continue the process of debris removal.

“The city of Pasadena has extra crews on call to respond to emergencies should that be necessary,” said Pasadena City Manager Michael J. Beck. “This is a good time for residents to make sure they are prepared in case of an emergency.”        

A page on the city website – www.cityofpasadena.net/windstorm_2011 – includes comprehensive information about windstorms, including instructions for emergency preparedness, important phone numbers, answers to frequently asked questions and more.

To report power-related issues, call (626) 744-4673;
to report fallen or compromised trees in the public right of way, call (626) 744-4321;
to report fallen or compromised trees on private property, call (626) 744-4009;
to report building damage, call (626) 744-4200.

To report a life-threatening emergency, call 9-1-1.


###

December 15, 2011
5:03 PM

LOCAL FOUNDATIONS WORKING TOGETHER TO HELP RENEW PASADENA’S URBAN FOREST FOLLOWING WINDSTORM

The city of Pasadena lost close to 1,100 trees of all sizes and species during the recent hurricane-force windstorm and at least 70 more park trees have been damaged and are being assessed for their chances of survival.

Now two local foundations are working together to help renew the public portion of Pasadena’s urban forest by replacing those lost trees.  

The Pasadena Community Foundation has teamed up with Pasadena Beautiful Foundation to establish the Windstorm Tree Fund for Pasadena to raise money for the purchase and planting of replacement trees on city property.

Pasadena Community Foundation, a non-profit, tax-exempt public charity created by and for the people of Pasadena, will match up to $10,000 in donations to the fund. All donations to the Windstorm Tree Fund for Pasadena are tax deductible and organizers stress that every penny donated will be used for the sole purpose of planting new trees.

“Without us having to ask, these two organizations saw the need, came to the city and offered their help," said City Manager Michael J. Beck. "In a time of very tight budgets, this kind of support from our residents is especially welcome and we’re very grateful.”

“Our urban forest is what makes our community livable,” said Emina Darakjy, past president of Pasadena Beautiful Foundation, a non-profit community organization that has worked with the city of Pasadena for 50 years to plant and protect trees. “Besides adding a natural beauty, trees provide quantifiable economic, ecosystem and health benefits.”

Donations to the fund may be made at www.pasadenabeautiful.org (click on Make a Donation) or mailed to Pasadena Beautiful Foundation, 140 S. Lake Ave., Suite 268, Pasadena CA 91101.

For more information about the Windstorm Tree Fund for Pasadena and to follow its progress, visit www.pasadenabeautiful.org and www.pasadenacf.org.  Facebook users can “Like” the Windstorm Tree Fund for Pasadena page.

# # #

December 13, 2011
5:11 pm

CREWS COLLECT YEAR’S WORTH OF GREEN DEBRIS IN ONE WEEK

The enormity of the windstorm recovery effort is becoming clearer every day.

Pasadena Public Works Department crews have been working tirelessly to clear the city’s 325 miles of roadways of storm debris and so far have collected a year’s worth – 18,000 tons – in just one week.

“It’s an incredible amount of material,” said Public Works Director Siobhan Foster.  “We’re going to be devoting the next several weeks to picking up all the green windstorm debris that residents have put out at the curb.”

A small contingent from L.A. County Department of Public Works continues to assist Pasadena Public Works with the massive project. Primary and secondary arterial roads have been cleared and now crews are concentrating on residential streets, moving east to west across the community while responding to day-to-day issues.

Foster reiterated that the Dec. 12 deadline for putting green storm debris at the curb for pickup has now passed and urged residents not to keep adding more, especially if crews have already cleared their streets.  

“Once we finish a street, we’re finished,” she added.  “We won’t be making a second pass to pick up more debris put out at the curb after the deadline. Our crews have to get to every part of the city.”

Residents with additional storm debris not placed at the street are advised to break it up to fit in yard-waste bins or take it to drop-off sites at the parking lots of Robinson Park, 1081 N. Fair Oaks Avenue, or Eaton Blanche Park, 3100 E. Del Mar Boulevard, by Friday, Dec. 16. All green debris, whether already at the curb or taken to a site, should be unbagged.

For more information call (626) 744-4087.

# # #

December 13, 2011
5:30 pm

WINDSTORM DEBRIS RETURNED TO COMMUNITY AS FREE MULCH

The recent hurricane-force windstorm that rocked Pasadena has finally yielded one benefit: free mulch for gardens.

Green debris taken by residents to two drop-off points has been ground up and will be returned to those locations starting this week as free mulch available to any Pasadenan with a shovel and something with which to carry the mulch.

Mulch will be available daily from Dec. 16 to 29, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Eaton Blanche Park, 3100 E. Del Mar Blvd., in the parking lot on Millicent Way; and Robinson Park, 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave., in the parking lot on Morton Street.

Mulch is an important organic protective cover placed over soil to help retain moisture, return nutrients, discourage weed growth and encourage seed germination and healthy plant growth. 

To prevent contamination of mulch, residents are reminded that yard waste must never contain any non-green items such as mattresses, fence material, roof shingles or other debris.

In addition to a great deal of free mulch, the unprecedented amount of storm debris has led to an increase in illegal dumping on streets, in parks and public rights of way. Pasadena Police are on the lookout for illegal dumping and will issue citations.

For more information about green debris collection and free mulch, contact Environmental Programs Manager Gabriel Silva at (626) 744-4721.

# # #

Ann Erdman
Public Information Officer
City of Pasadena
Public Affairs Office
100 N. Garfield Ave., Room S228
Pasadena CA  91109
(626) 744-4755
Cell: (626) 375-2742
www.cityofpasadena.net/publicaffairs
Facebook:  Pasadena PIO
Twitter:  pasadenapio

Hahamongna Upset Overturned

The Honorable Michael D. Antonovich                                3/1/11
L.A. County Board of Supervisors
Los Angeles, California

Dear Supervisor Antonovich:

On behalf of the City of Pasadena, I convey strong support for your motion on today’s Supplemental Agenda (Item 60C) pertaining to the Devil’s Gate Dam Sediment Removal Project. After due deliberations, the Council unanimously expressed support for the motion.

We recognize the seriousness of the project to be undertaken, and Pasadena is prepared to cooperate fully in its implementation in the years ahead. But like you, we strongly believe that the project must be structured in a thoughtful and environmentally sensitive manner, and we agree that the approach suggested in your motion will put us on the right track for this effort. The City will be represented at today’s meeting by either Vice Mayor Victor Gordo or Councilmember Steve Madison. 

Please share this letter with your colleagues on the Board of Supervisors.  It is our hope that the motion carries and that the short term plan, to be returned within 90 days, will take into account all material environmental concerns. In this regard, our Public Works staff stands ready to confer and cooperate with the Department of Public Works, Los Angeles County, to assure that the interests of the City of Pasadena in Hahamongna Park are taken fully into account.

Please let us know how we can be helpful in pursuing this important matter.

Sincerely,
BILL BOGAARD
Mayor

Locals may already know that Supervisor Antonovich's motion passed and there will be an Environmental Impact Report before the Department of Public Works begins removing silt from behind the Devil's Gate Dam. (Yay!) The referenced "short term plan," as I understand it, will actually be returned within 30 days as opposed to 90. During this period LADPW has permission to clean out the workings of the dam itself. I hope I've got that right.

The Hahamongna walkabout is this Saturday, March 5th, and there's room for you! Sign up and join us! (I'm leading the 9am tour.) Find out why so many people continue to push to preserve this "urbanwild" place (have done so for years and will always do so).

Big thanks to the City Council for standing up for Pasadena's interests and to Pasadena PIO Ann Erdman for sharing the Mayor's letter. Thanks to Mademoiselle Gramophone for videotaping the Supervisors' meeting and reporting. Thanks to the Pasadena Star-News for this excellent editorial that states it all so clearly and evenly. And thanks to the many, many people who signed the petition (you can sign, too) and made their voices heard in support of Hahamongna. I'd list them all, but the band would play me off the stage.

There will be more challenges. Let's stay tuned.

And to All a Good Night

Last week I wasn't feeling the Christmas spirit. That feeling is warmer than a good mood, brighter than a hope. I felt okay, just not Christmasy. Plus it was raining.

Friends, local and cyber, made suggestions as to where to look for my Christmas spirit and I tried them all. I played Christmas music, read Christmas stories, gave to charity. I watched Christmas videos, listened to Christmas carolers, viewed Christmas lights in the rain. It was beginning to work. I was starting to feel warm and fuzzy.

Wednesday night, the storm broke. On the suggestion of Pasadena's Public Information Officer Ann Erdman, I drove to upper Hastings Ranch, a Pasadena neighborhood that (surprise!) was once a ranch owned by a family named Hastings. The neighbors there put on a Christmas light show every year. I drove up the hill, as far up as I could go, stopping every so often to take pictures. Then, not quite satisfied, I turned around to head home.

Then I saw the lights of the San Gabriel Valley under the post-storm sky. That was all I needed.

Merry Christmas to all!

PDP/PPM Books Contest, week 4

Local Pasadenamites (as opposed to what--international Pasadanish?) will immediately recognize this rock formation, even though it's covered with gunite. It's our famous devil of the Devil's Gate Dam. This rock formation gave the dam its name.

But who named the "Devil's Gate" gorge? That's this week's contest question. Once again, I've linked you to the answer. (Read the whole post, it's fascinating.) Many thanks to Ann Erdman, Pasadena PIO, for her great blog.

If you've been checking in for the past few weeks you know the contest rules, but in case you haven't, here they are:

1. Email the answer to me. There's a link to my email in my profile at the upper left. You have until midnight tonight, Pasadena (Pacific) time. Answers in the comments section will be rudely ignored.

2. That's all you have to do.

3. Tomorrow I'll ask my cutest, most innocent neighbor child to draw the winning name from a hat. I will search diligently for an actual child. I'll announce the winner in Sunday's post.

4. PRIZES! For your holiday gift-giving for for your lucky self:

Once again, this week's prize will be a brand new copy of Hometown Pasadena 2009-2010, thanks to Colleen Dunn Bates and Prospect Park Media. After today I only have one more copy of Hometown Pasadena to give away. We'll do that next week.

THEN we'll have another week or two of giveaways because we have a copy of At Home Pasadena, the lovely, hardcover coffee table book about beautiful living in our beautiful town;
AND
stick around, because we also have a copy of the brand new novel, Helen of Pasadena, by Pasadanish Lian Dolan. The book is now available at bookstores everywhere. Whet your Helen appetite by reading chapter one here, or meet Lian in person at Vroman's November 14th at 3pm.

Many thanks to Colleen, Lian and everyone at Prospect Park Media.

Hot Set

I'm a fan of Pasadena PIO, the blog of Ann Erdman, Pasadena's Public Information Officer. That's where I read that KPAS, our local cable access TV station, is moving from channel 55 to channel 3 on the Charter Communications System. The move happens on Tuesday, January 12th. Ann wrote a PSA to publicize the move. You can see it if you click on her blog.

If you're not a Charter customer (if only we had a choice!) you can go to the City Manager page on the City of Pasadena website and can click on Video Streaming at the right side of the page. I just clicked and found Ann Erdman herself, interviewing a nice young woman about planting 700 trees in Pasadena!

I had the pleasure of recording an important voice-over at the KPAS studios recently. I'll tell you about it soon.

Embracing Our Diversity

Folks said 7:30 was a little early--not to be out of bed, necessarily--but to be showered, dressed and out in public being civil on a Monday. But none of us would have missed it for anything.

It was the Pasadena YWCA's Women for Racial Justice Breakfast, chaired by Ellen Portantino, emceed by NBC's Beverly White and put together (obviously) by a lot of unsung but dedicated people. I was one of the lucky women invited to share a table with my friend and Pasadena's Public Information Officer, Ann Erdman. Did you know the YWCA's whole mission is "Eliminating Racism and Empowering Women"? And the YWCA in Pasadena is huge.

I knew I'd enjoy it. I even knew I'd be inspired. But I didn't know how much.

This year's recipient of the YWCA Racial Justice Award was Marge Wyatt, a Pasadena activist for more than 50 years. Sandra Davis Houston gave Wyatt a rousing introduction, saying there's no way we can know how many lives she influenced over the years. Wyatt has fought for equality in many ways: by writing about it, by standing up for desegregation, as the founder and former board president of Child Care Information Service and as an active presence on the PTA. When asked what his mother did, one of her sons once said, "She goes to meetings." She has spent the better part of 50 years going to meetings to make Pasadena a better place for people of every heritage.

Dr. Joy DeGruy, yesterday's keynote speaker, holds more degrees than a hot day in Pasadena. Her speech was funny and poignant. Most interesting to me, she challenged my assumptions and those of everyone else in the room, from the responses I heard. She spoke for about half an hour but I could have listened to her all day. If she writes like she talks then her book, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Enduring Legacy of Injury and Healing, promises to be a hell of a read.

All thousand or so of us took a Racial Justice Pledge together yesterday morning. You can take it, too.

I believe that every person has worth as an individual.
I believe that every person is entitled to dignity and respect.
I believe that every thought and every act of prejudice of all kinds is harmful; if it is my thought or act, then it is harmful to me as well as to others.
Therefore, from this day forward I will strive daily to eliminate prejudice from my thoughts and actions.
I will discourage prejudice by others at every opportunity.
I will treat all people with dignity and respect; and will strive daily to honor this pledge, knowing that the world will be a better place because of my effort.

Other posts about the event: An Inch At A Time, Hometown Pasadena
If you see other posts about it, let me know and I'll link to them here.

If you think about this pledge, it's not an easy thing to do. But let's all take a good shot at it, shall we? And when we mess up, let's keep trying. That's what Marge Wyatt did, and she's succeeded in making the world a better place.

Recycling Efforts

I saw my friend and neighbor Linda Centell at the District 3 block party. You may remember Linda; she works with Ann Erdman, Pasadena's Public Information Officer. At the party, Linda introduced me to Gabriel Silva. Linda thinks the world of this guy and now that I know more about him, I do, too.

Gabriel is Pasadena's Environmental Programs Manager. Do you want to guess what that involves, or should I just tell you?

It'll take too long to get a consensus. I'll just tell you.

The Environmental Programs Manager is responsible for the following recycling programs: residential curbside, green waste, used oil, large venue/special events, compact fluorescent light bulb/battery, sharps (needles, syringes, etc.), e-waste (like the free collection events), composting and of course all those Christmas trees. His duties also include: elementary school education/outreach, household hazardous waste disposal, coordinating the Greening the Earth Day Festival, annual outstanding recycler awards, developing new programs to increase the City's waste diversion, managing several state grants, and reporting.

I know the above is true because I got it from Gabriel. Though it seems like a lot, a paragraph still doesn't give you the scope. Think of each of those duties as containing other duties. For example: did you know that a single Rose Bowl Game (large venue/special event) can generate as much as six tons of recycling trash? Someone has to pick up all that stuff. And sort it. Eeuw.

Silva doesn't collect all those cans himself. He coordinates the effort, though, by teaming up with the Los Angeles Conservation Corps to employ 50 to 80 young adults to help at UCLA Home Games, the Rose Bowl Game and the BCS Bowl Game.

I'd say something about how well he delegates his staff, except if I understand it correctly there's only one staffer to delegate. So I have to assume Gabriel does a lot of the work himself. When Linda introduced us, we interrupted him collecting the trash bins from the block party. It was a Saturday, but these things have to be done and when you don't have underlings to do them for you, you do them yourself.

Just take another look at Gabriel's list of duties and think about that.

Ow. My back is killing me.

Here's more information about recycling in Pasadena.

Thank You, Ann

If you've been visiting Pasadena Daily Photo this week you may have wondered, "who is this illustrious Public Information Officer, this Ann Erdman person, and why is she in Palm Springs?" (The question I've been asking myself is, where's Linda Centell? She's my neighbor and I haven't seen her all week.)

I should have coordinated with Ann; it's not her fault I chose the week of her vacation to post my City Hall photos. She has every right to take a vacation, and Linda is perfectly capable of serving as Acting PIO for a week.

Here's a list of a few of the things Ann does as Pasadena's Public Information Officer (and what Linda's been doing in her absence):

--writes Pasadena In Focus, the newsletter received in every Pasadena household, telling us what's going on in town. (A joint effort. Ann tells me Linda is the "world's greatest editor.")
--prepares and distributes news releases and answers media inquiries.
--oversees all programming on 55KPAS, Pasadena's local cable TV station.
--develops and sells City Hall souvenirs. (I have the tote bag.)

The rest I quote from Ann's job description: The Public Information Office "...produces brochures, leaflets, flyers, posters, ads and other literature; plans press conferences; promotes special events; provides media relations and public relations counsel to city departments; and oversees the information kiosk at Pasadena City Hall..."

As if that weren't enough, Ann has received accolades and awards for putting together The Pasadena Follies, where city officials have a chance to make fun of themselves for a good cause.

She's won the hearts and minds of the local blogging community (and there are a lot of us) not just by answering our questions, which is part of her job description, but by being our friend, which is not.

Ann is also a blogger. Check her out at Pasadena PIO. And you can follow her on Twitter. She even found time to give me a friendly tour of the "inner sanctum" at City Hall.

I think a vacation is allowed.

Sanctum

Pasadena's Public Information Officer, Ann Erdman, showed me around what she calls "the inner sanctum" of City Hall. That includes the mayor's office. (By the way, Mayor Bogaard, Ann said she'd take the heat for this photo.)

Merriam-Webster Online defines "sanctum" as 1) a sacred place; and 2) a place where one is free from intrusion.

I wonder if that's the case here. I suppose the mayor can say, "hold my calls!" and close the door if he has to, but how often does he actually get a minute to himself?

At least he has a nice office. It has good light. The woodwork is original to the 1927 structure. At first glance, the room looks tidy. But click on the photo to enlarge it and you'll see stacks of notebooks beside the desk. The shelves, desk and conference table are covered with papers. The mayor's suit jacket hangs over a chair as though he might be working in his shirt-sleeves. I doubt there's much time for snoozing in that comfy chair behind the desk.

Here's a challenge for you: find a one-word antonym for "sanctum."

No One is Incognito

You'll find Linda Centell in the City Hall Public Affairs office. I took several pictures of her and I think this one's interesting. Unfortunately, you can't see Linda in it. If you want to see a cute picture of Linda, scroll down in this post on the Pasadena PIO's blog. You'll find Linda and her handsome husband, Ed Washatka, in their party duds.

Something I love about Pasadena is that people here are connected. It's not just me. I've never been this connected in any other place. See, things work sort of like this: Linda and Ed are my neighbors, and, say, Linda introduces me to a friend who's interested in a cause I care about, and that friend happens to know a professor who wrote an article about a subject I'm interested in, so the professor hooks me up with some people he knows who belong to an organization I belong to, and it turns out one of them is a blogger I had already met online, and through her I meet Ann Erdman who is the Public Information Officer, and wouldn't you know it? Ann is Linda's boss.

I don't think I've made myself clear. What I mean is it's a big circle. Not everyone knows everyone, but sooner or later everyone seems to be connected to everyone somehow, and if you want to meet someone you probably know someone who can introduce you. Somehow.

And no, I didn't uncover any secrets at City Hall. As far as I know, nobody there is incognito.

Honcho Hallway

Of the many treasures in the inner sanctum of City Hall, this is one of my favorites. Along the wall outside the mayor's office are three rows of portraits, in black & white, of all the men and women who have served as mayor of Pasadena. They're in order, left to right, top to bottom, so if Wikipedia has it right that's Pasadena's first mayor, H.J. Holmes, on the upper left.

Pasadena has had 54 mayors but they've only been 52 different people. Our current mayor, Bill Bogaard, is a popular guy. Do you know who else was popular enough to be elected two different times?

You can't see it in this picture but two blank frames hang at the opposite end, bottom row. Ann Erdman, our Public Information Officer and my guide through City Hall, told me a frame is filled only when a mayor leaves office. So one of those frames will be filled when Mayor Bogaard leaves, and the last will be filled by the mayor after him. After that, what next?

I don't know, but there's a big future and a blank wall across the way.

Power Playroom

Every Tuesday, Pasadena's Public Information Officer holds a Mystery History contest on her blog. So before you do anything else, go on over there and enter. Go on, there's a time factor. I'll wait.

Okay. So you see how it works. PIO Ann Erdman posts a historical Pasadena photo and you guess what the photo's about. If you're the first one to guess correctly you win a prize.

Three weeks ago, I won. When I went to City Hall to collect my attractive City Hall tote bag, Ann allowed me to take photos inside the city government offices. Oh yes she did. I sneaked around behind the reception desk. I saw the secret documents. I poked my camera into the deep, dark playrooms of Pasadena's power politics.

Not really. Actually, the lighting was decent.

I got some fun shots to post this week, so stick around.