Station 39

You may all remember my love letter to Fire Station 39 in the San Rafael area of Pasadena a little while back.  I got an email yesterday from Steve Madison, this area's City Councilmember, that was really sad to hear.

I hope they do retrofit it so my favorite firemen will be safe, but please, City of Pasadena, keep the structure's design intact!  Two years??  I'll miss the firemen on my daily dog walks.

Yesterday Pasadena Fire Chief Dennis Downs announced that effective today Fire Station 39 on Avenue 64 in West Pasadena is being vacated because engineering studies have determined the building does not presently meet minimum seismic safety standards.  The Chief predicted that the Station will be closed for 24-30 months.  I am strongly committed to reopening Station 39, either at the same site or a different site, as soon as possible, to provide essential public safety services to the Southwest portion of Pasadena. 

 

We received a presentation about this decision at our City Council meeting Monday night, in connection with a discussion of the capital budget for the upcoming fiscal year.   Staff reported that the Fire Chief and City Manager made the determination to vacate the existing facility effective today.   I learned of this potential development several weeks ago and have been working with staff to determine first whether this was avoidable.   When it became clear after a second and even a third expert engineering opinion concurred, my focus has been on whether a temporary facility can be established, and to determine when and how the existing facility can be renovated or re-constructed on the same site or a new site.    I was grateful that Monday night my colleagues expressed support for this approach by acknowledging the inclusion in the capital budget of an initial allocation of almost $1 million to pursue the renovation/relocation of Station 39 and Station 32 in East Pasadena, which has also been declared unsafe seismically. 

 

There are a total of eight fire stations in Pasadena, three of which (31, 38 and 39) are in our City Council District (which as you know is one of seven districts).    Our neighborhood fire stations are extremely important to our community’s safety and, again, I am committed to reopening Station 39.    It is extremely unfortunate that the existing facility has to be vacated, but protecting the men and women of our Fire Department who work and live there while on duty, cannot be compromised.    In the meantime the neighborhoods served by Station 39 will be served by our Stations 31 (South Fair Oaks) and 38 (Linda Vista), as well as City of Los Angeles and South Pasadena stations with whom we have a “mutual aid“ compact.    The Chief has assured me that response times will continue to be well within compliance with all national and regional standards.  I will keep you posted regarding our efforts as we move forward.     We will post information regarding this matter on our District 6 website at cityofpasadena.net. 

 

Steve Madison

Pasadena City Councilmember, District 6

 

 

Food Truck Bonanza!

It's a food truck extravaganza tomorrow - Thursday the 26th - here at the Fireman's Credit Union in Los Angeles at 815 Colorado Blvd just outside of Pasadena.  They have a food truck at their site everyday, but tomorrow they are holding their "Food Truck Extravaganza and Sidewalk Sale" to benefit the Fire Family Foundation.  I met Allison who is in charge of organizing the food trucks and her enthusiasm was catching.  I sampled the turkey sandwich from Meet N' Potatoes today and it was quite tasty.  The sauce for the fries today was truffle aioli. Um, yum!  The Meet N' Potatoes Truck is there twice a month.  Cupcakes a Go Go was there today too.  And, yes, we sampled one of those.  The coconut was delicious.

You can give your email address to the receptionist and Allison will kindly add you to their email blast so you will be in the know about what trucks will be there what days.  The Kogi truck has been known to make an appearance so it's good to be in the know.

If you're in the area Thursday and can make it, stop by and have a tasty lunch and help support your local Firefighters. If you've been following my blog you know how I feel about my local Firefighters.

The trucks that will be there:  Grill Em All, The Comfort Truck, Mandoline Grill, Shaved Ice.  From 11-3.  I heard from a customer in line today that Grill Em All is the best.  That's what he said.

All I'm sayin' is that I can walk over from my house.  Jealous?!

Food truck extravaganza and sidewalk sale to benefit the Fire Family Foundation!

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:14:00 PT

Thursday, January 27, bring your appetite...
Grill Em All (11am-3pm)
Mandoline Grill (11am-3pm)
The Comfort Truck (11am-3pm)
Get Shaved Ice (12pm-3pm)
A percentage of the net proceeds from the food trucks benefit the Fire Family Foundation.
Learn more on the Fire Family Foundation Website!

Upcoming events:

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:23:00 PT

Food Truck Extravaganza – Bring your appetite for the benefit for the Fire Family Foundation - 1/27/11

Buff & Hensman Redux

1161 Romney Drive, Pasadena  

Another Buff & Hensman?!  In the San Rafael Hills no less.  Be still my heart.  Xmas has come early for those mid-century modern Buff & Hensman architectural home loving folks like me.

According to the MLS:  Located in the San Rafael Hills this quintessential Buff + Hensman post and beam style home features all the best that California living has to offer. Walls of glass and casual in-door-out door living. The L shaped home surrounds a lovely pool and has a flat 23056 SqFt pad with fabulous views of the San Gabriel mountains. The house is 3323 SqFt of living area with 4 bedrooms, 1 full bath, and two 3/4 bath. There is a large master suite that opens onto the pool, large living room with high vaulted ceilings, hardwood floors and a dramatic fireplace. The kitchen has a wet bar and eat-in-area. The large dining room also has hardwood floors and is perfect for entertaining. Must see to appreciate-needs a little TLC. 

TLC, for sure, but oh so worth it!

The fine print - Romney Drive is not my listing, but I'd love to show it to to any qualified buyers who heart Buff & Hensman as much as I.

Life would be very pleasant on Pleasant Way in this Buff & Hensman

1599 Pleasant Way, Pasadena

Pleasant Way is even more pleasant having this amazing Buff, Straub & Hensman designed house on it.  One of my favorite architectural design firms in one of my favorite neighborhoods. 

The house has additions by Architect Stephen Hans Nuetzel, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Not only is it an open floor plan home with beamed ceilings, but it has walls of glass framing the incredible views of the mountains.  And, you've heard me go on and on before about the central location of the San Rafael Hills.  Need I say more.  Got your checkbook ready?

If you would like to view this treasure please contact me at jpstanton@deasypenner.com.  I can tell you firsthand how great the neighborhood is and all the fabulous Buff & Hensman homes to see in the Pasadena area. 

This listing is not my own but comes courtesy of Crosby Doe & Assoc.

Pasadena Fire Department #39

 If I could I'd write an ode to the San Rafael Fire Department Station #39.  They're out walking every morning and have a friendly word or wave.  The fire truck is always blindingly shiny and clean.  If they ever do a car wash fundraiser, I'm there! Those guys know a thing or two about how to get a vehicle spotless. The building is mid-century cool and, yes, it does have a pole they can slide down.  Just one more reason to love the San Rafael Hills.

If you live close by, keep an eye out for their Holiday Toy Drive and help them out with that.  Oh, and wave when you go by, they'll wave back.

Kono Kort

 Love.  Just pure and simple love for this gem of a residential rental.  Kono Kort.  No need to say anything else, the name says it all.  Six mid-century compact spaces with a killer sign, great location and some groovy plantings.   I think if I loved Kono Kort any more I'd have to marry it.  Maybe someone will buy it for me.  Just saying.

Oooooo Scary San Rafael!

Walking the dogs has now become even better thanks to the nuttiness that is Halloween in the San Rafael neighborhood.  The yards near the park are dotted with fantastic decorations - some cute, some charming and some downright fabulous!

Check out these photos of one yard.  I can't believe my dogs didn't bark at them.  They bark at that bronze coyote sculpture at One Colorado.

Moore's Delicatessen - Run Don't Walk!

Trust me, run there before the lines are out the door.  It may be too late though.  We were lucky enough to be invited to the Friends and Family party this weekend at the soon to be open Moore's Delicatessen by the wonderful folks who own Little Flower Candy Company on Colorado Blvd in Pasadena, Christine and Robert Moore.  I love LFCC so much that I couldn't be more thrilled to be able to enjoy their tasty food when I'm in Burbank.  It's a great location for them too - right near City Hall, Macy's, Ikea, and across from the Police and Fireman's Building.  See why I said run there before it's packed?!  The menu is larger than at LFCC but still has some of my favorites.  What are those you ask?  The Green Goddess Salad, Tempeh Sandwich, and my new fave the City Hall Turkey sandwich.  Good luck to them and may one come to your neighborhood soon!

Earth Machine Composting Bins - It's all the rage (at least I'm hoping it will be)

We became composters about a year ago at our place in the San Rafael hills and my mission is to spread the word and help reduce landfills with all the of kitchen and yard waste that could be turned back into usable soil.  We've managed to cut down from our big garbage bin to the smallest the city of Pasadena offers and that isn't usually full.  (Except for the big party we threw Saturday night but that's another story).  We keep a small compost pail under the sink for kitchen scraps and use a biodegradable bag liner.  I've been using Bio Bags and you can find them online - even found them on Overstock.com once.  And, no folks, it doesn't smell.  The pail has a charcoal insert which keeps odors away.  (Money saving tip - Marshall's has compost bins sometimes).  The soil has been usable to spread in our garden and mulch our yard for a few months now.  Great stuff!  Our bin came from the city of Pasadena and you can find information here  Pasdena Compost Info.   Recently though I was at the Burbank Board of Realtors and the city of Burbank has a program as well that uses a bin from a company called Earth Machine and I had compost bin envy.  Yes it's true.  It is user-friendly and even borders on sexy - for something that turns garbage into soil. Their compost booklet is excellent too. Click here for their website Earth Machine  or you can contact the city of Burbank as well here. 

See what I mean?!



(Image courtesy of Earthmachine.com)

Smoky San Rafael Hills

I've been walking my dogs through my neighborhood in the San Rafael hills during the fires, which I know I'm not supposed to do, but what is one to do with two wound up dogs who are itching to go outside? We're walking through the thick ashy air and trying to pretend it's our usual fun stroll in our fantastic neighborhood. For this update I'm sharing some photos of my neighborhood, smoky as it may be.

I love the little shopping area on Colorado Blvd. Vintage-feeling restaurant Stoney Point with it's piano player and neon sign, The Little Flower Candy Company - sooooo delicious and the nicest owners on earth (have lunch there - you will thank me), the cool Spanish building with Cornerstone Chiropractic in it, the Kitchen for Exploring Foods (a great place to pick up diner to go).

At the Western end are some groovy mid-century office buildings. Maybe I'm the only person who likes these office buildings, but I'm a sucker for mid-century moderns and these are kinda low slung post and beam and cool. The park at Melrose and Colorado is great place for dogs and kids alike.




If you want some serious hikes without the nature aspect - try walking the San Rafael Hills. If you wander in and up in the hills you can see if you can find all the pedestrian staircases linking the streets.

Our street in the San Rafael Hills is the Westernmost part of Pasadena. In fact both ends of the street are actually in LA. We've got a name for this bit of the hills of Pasadena so close to Eagle Rock where we live - "Eaglerockadena". You heard it here first.

Enjoy the photos and next time you drive by have lunch at The Little Flower or dinner at "The Point".

Here are some links to places on Colorado:

http://www.littleflowercandyco.com/

http://stoneypointrestaurant.com/

http://www.thekitchen.net/