Pasadena history

WPRA sets date for its 62nd annual meeting on June 6, 2024

The West Pasadena Residents’ Association invites its members and all other Pasadena residents to attend its 2024 annual meeting on Thursday, June 6, 5-8:30 p.m., in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge #672, 400 W. Colorado Blvd.

This year’s meeting is especially notable for at least three reasons:

1. The meeting comes at a most propitious time. The City has begun to draft a comprehensive plan to reclaim the 50+ acres Caltrans appropriated by eminent domain 60 years ago for its now-defunct plan to expand the 710 freeway between Pasadena and El Sereno.
2. It marks the WPRA’s 62nd year of continuous service to the residents of west Pasadena.
3. The lodge, which was built in 1911, has just recently completed a major interior renovation that includes a new entrance, ballroom, ballroom bar and fireside room.

5–5:30: Lodge tours
Lodge members will be on hand to conduct tours of the recently renovated interior. Each tour will take about 15 minutes.

5:30–6:15 p.m.: Meet and greet
The evening will start with an information fair (and sweet treats) featuring representatives from multiple City agencies, and community groups and organizations. We’ve invited them to use this time to exhibit their services, programs and initiatives. Additionally, you can learn from and share your thoughts and ideas with a number of our local, county and state elected and appointed figures we’ve invited to join us.

6:15–6:30 p.m.: Election and recognition
The main program begins, as is customary, with the Presentation of the Colors and the Pledge of Allegiance as well as recognition of special guests. WPRA members will then elect WPRA directors for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, and hear remarks from the WPRA president and other announcements.

6:30–8:30 p.m.: Main program
Theme: “Reconnecting Pasadena: Mobility, transportation and opportunity in the 710 Corridor”

Sixty years after Caltrans began the effort to connect the 710 freeway, the project was terminated and the 50 acres of land occupied by the “710 stub” were returned to the City. We are now entering a decades-long process to reconnect Pasadena by creating a vision and development plan for the stub, one that meets the needs of west Pasadena Stub corridor constituents, as well as those of the entire City.

The 710 corridor IS west Pasadena. Because of what was done, for over six decades west Pasadena has had to contend with high traffic volumes and cut-through traffic, closed streets, gridlock, unsafe sidewalks, disrupted and blighted neighborhoods, and decades of subsequent neglect of this area — all resulting from the building of the stub.

Now comes the hard part
We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-envision the west Pasadena 710 corridor. Creative thinking and forward vision will help us reconnect our neighborhoods and communities.

Starting the process
The WPRA Board of Directors recognized the importance of this opportunity and in 2015 envisioned a plan to accomplish these goals: the Connecting Pasadena Project, or CPP. The CPP was developed by over 300 citizens from throughout Pasadena, supported by internationally acclaimed consultants for traffic, land use and economics. This is where the City and the lead planners should start. The CPP, of course, needs updating, but the fundamentals remain sound. To review the CPP final report, click here.

Many competing interests will attempt to guide the decision-making and planning process in ways that will benefit a specific group. We must stay focused, without delay, on the key planning areas that will benefit the neighborhoods and residents of the 710 stub corridor and beyond. The WPRA has ramped up its efforts.

Let your voice be heard
At this year’s annual meeting, we will bring in experts to offer new, creative ideas to correct the 710 stub corridor issues we have lived with for far too long. They will discuss traffic solutions, land-use ideas and affordable housing possibilities, all to give us an idea as to what can be done. Please bring your ideas to add to the discussion.

The West Pasadena Residents’ Association (wpra.net) convened its 2023 annual meeting on Wednesday, May 31, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., in the Maranatha High School Student Center, 169 S. St. John Ave.

5:30 p.m.: Meet and greet

The evening started with an information fair (and sweet treats) featuring representatives from multiple city agencies, community groups and organizations exhibiting their services and programs. In addition, those attending the meeting had the opportunity to rub elbows with a number of local leaders including:

• • Victor Gordo, Pasadena Mayor

• • Steve Madison, Pasadena Councilmember (District 6)

• • Kathryn Barger, LA County Supervisor (District 5)

• • Chris Holden, State Assemblymember (District 41)

• • Anthony Portantino, State Senator (District 25)

6:30 p.m.: Business program

The theme of the meeting was “Pasadena 101: Meet our new City leaders.” Those who attended had a unique access to leaders of a number of critical city services, and an opportunity to discover more effective ways to access City services, resolve issues, get information, help shape City policy, and, of course, help make Pasadena an even better place to live, work, play, and raise a family. 

Delivering this information and guidance were:

• Miguel Márquez, city manager. Before joining the City of Pasadena in 2022, Márquez served as the chief operating officer of Santa Clara County. Previously he served as an associate justice of the California Sixth District Court of Appeals, county counsel for Santa Clara County, general counsel of the San Francisco Unified School District, and deputy city attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office. A native of Sacramento, Márquez received a law degree from UC Berkeley Law School, a master’s degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Stanford University.
• Sidney Jackson, general manager of Pasadena Water and Power. Jackson has a long tenure in the water-and-power industries. Before joining PWP, he served as the chief operations officer and deputy general manager at Austin (Texas) Energy, and chief operations officer at Rochester (New York) Public Utility. Jackson earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Kansas State University and a master’s in business administration from the University of Missouri.
• Tim McDonald, acting director of Libraries and Information Services. After 11 years with the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, McDonald joined the Pasadena Library System in 2016 as manager of Library Services. Subsequently he was promoted to acting deputy director of Libraries and Information Services. McDonald earned bachelor’s degrees from Swarthmore College and DePaul University, and a master’s degree in Library Information Services from the University of North Texas.

All are  welcome to join us for this — our 61st — annual meeting.