Pasadena attempts to convey that fireworks are illegal in Pasadena.

Yet there are no rewards offered for reporting and the prosecution of those who partake in illegal fireworks.

Let’s see how this goes this year. There are no new developments in how enforcement will be handled this year.

We really don’t need to have a press conference at a location of a home that was burned by the Eaton Fire.  What would be more effective is showing confiscated fireworks.  Show some of the types of fireworks that have been confiscated in busts.  There is a potential fine $250 to $1,000 so where is the $50,000 that has been thrown around?  The messages are all over the place.

Listen to Manual Carmona, never addresses that fireworks cause trauma for residents and pets.

Meanwhile no city release states that AmericaFest the organization that funded and operated the 4th of July at the Rose Bowl filed bankruptcy, and that AmericaFest was losing money every year.

Then with the soccer match in 2023 and 2024 the fireworks show was paid for by the soccer game promoters.  But it was a nightmare of a show with fireworks being set off inside the stadium.

This will blow your mind:

And this is the same directory of health for Pasadena that never addressed the use of leaf blowers in the city, and basically stamping blowers as ok to use… which is ridiculous.  PHS did address the danger of fireworks to pets.

behind us you’ll see a home that was
destroyed army Corps engineers um came
through have cleared the house um
beautiful view of fireworks displays
throughout Los Angeles on the 4th of
July but that’s also we want to keep
people away from and that’s what we’re
going to talk about today real quick the
Rose Bowl it’s the first time in many
many years as far I’ve been here 23
years and uh this first year where we
will have no fireworks at the Rose Bowl
there is a foodie land event there will
be a drone show if you attend the event
you won’t be able to see it from outside
the Roseb area uh you can go to the
Rosebull Stadium website for more
information uh there is free parking but
again we want to keep people away from
the Rose Bowl to congregate um assuming
that there will be fireworks this year
and with that I want to introduce our
council member Gene Masuda we do this
every year because we’re trying to
remind the public not to set off
fireworks so please stay safe on July
5th I always look at the newspaper to
see how many people uh had to go to the
emergency or you know some place to uh
because they got hurt from fireworks so
again please not light fireworks because
not it’s it’s against the law in
Pasadena and we don’t want you to get
hurt so thank you so much for being here
good morning my name is Chad Augustine
and I’m your Pasadena fire chief as we
near the Fourth of July holiday I’m
pleased to say that we’ve received a low
number of calls related to fireworks
let’s continue that trend to ensure that
we all have a safe and enjoyable July
4th holiday so how can you celebrate the
holiday safely attend a fireworks or
drone show put on by the professionals
please remember that a moment of fun can
quickly turn into a tragedy with people
injured and property lost i want to
remind you that all fireworks are
illegal in the city of Pasadena
there will also be additional
enforcement throughout the city leading
up to the July 4th holiday pasadena
officials will confiscate fireworks and
offenders will be prosecuted to the full
extent of the law the rising
temperatures also present heat related
illness risk to you your loved ones and
our furry friends ensuring that you
drink enough fluids is one of the best
things you can do to ensure and prevent
heat uh heat related injuries remember
by the time you’re thirsty you’re
already behind the eightball as we stand
here surrounded by homes that were
destroyed by the EN fire I want to
remind you of the grief felt by so many
let’s commit to ensuring that no
additional property is lost by fire
caused from illegal fireworks this year
with that said I wish each of you and
your families a safe and healthy Fourth
of July holiday next I’ll turn it over
to Police Chief Gene Harris
uh we’re here just to make sure that
first we’re welcoming to people coming
to the city of Pasadena for all that
Pasadena has to offer it’s a wonderful
time of year to come and celebrate and
partake in all that is Pasadena but as
you’ve heard um we s have a significant
fire danger here in the city um as you
can see in the surroundings here around
us now that that fire is all too much a
reality for this city so one of the
things we want to make sure we’re
reminding folks is that we will have a
heavy police presence uh in and around
all of the fire areas uh in the city and
in and around any events that could draw
folks that might want to partake in
illegal fireworks the key word is
illegal all il fireworks are illegal in
the city of Pasadena so we want to
remind folks that we’ll have a heavy
presence here in the foothills and want
to warn people to stay away from the
foothills unless there’s some other
reason to be here you know somebody or
some righteous reason to be up in the
area additionally we want to make sure
people stay away from the Rose Bowl as
you heard there’s not a fireworks show
there this year so stay away from from
the Rose Bowl if you can avoid that area
unless you have uh tickets to an event
and you’re going to go and participate
in something that has either been
permitted or is lawful for you to attend
again the reminder is that we want
people to come and enjoy themselves in
Pasadena but the tolerance will will
will be what it is with regard to making
sure we don’t have any additional fires
or adverse safety uh issues brought on
by the festivities of the 4th of July um
we will have extra units in the field
dealing with illegal fireworks uh we’ll
have people from our fire department our
arson detection folks and certainly all
of our uniform police personnel will be
out uh to ensure that we are paying a
very close and strict attention to
people who might want to come and
violate those rules as it was said all
fireworks are illegal so we will act
accordingly um so let’s not do that
let’s make sure that we have a situation
where everybody can enjoy their Fourth
of July in the city of Pasadena and with
that I’ll turn it over to the next
speaker who is I think our prosecutor
fireworks are illegal in Pasadena
fireworks have led to fires injuries and
arrest any person who violates state law
regarding fireworks is subject to arrest
and prosecution most violations are
misdemeanors that can lead to up to one
year in the county jail or fine of
$1,000 some can be fines of up to $5,000
depending upon the amount of fireworks
that are possessed
cities can even prohibit safe and sane
fireworks and Pasadena does in Pasadena
it is illegal to possess sell use or
discharge fireworks regardless of
whether they’re considered dangerous or
safe and sane violators of Pasadena’s
fireworks ordinance can be sentenced in
the county jail for up to six months pay
a fine of up to $1,000 and can be
responsible for the cost associated with
the safe disposal of those fireworks
pasadena recently updated its fireworks
fine schedule effective June 5th 2025
the fines will now cost violators more
than in the past with fines starting at
a minimum of $250
up to a maximum of $1,000
our community and our neighbors have
suffered enough let’s not add to it by
risking all the harm connected with
fireworks let’s protect our community
from all the dangers that fireworks
bring including fires injuries and
property damage
pasadena takes this seriously
set the better example and let’s do our
part to make sure that we live and work
in a safe respectful and vibrant
community and for those who do not
prepare to face the legal and financial
consequences
thank you and with that I will introduce
Emanuel Carmona Pasadena’s director of
public health as you celebrate the 4th
of July keep these tips in mind for a
fun and safe holiday
areas near large fireworks display often
experience hazardous air quality
fireworks release fine particulate
matter along with metal pollutants
causing air quality to worsen from the
evening of July 4th into the next day
breathing in fine particle pollution can
aggravate asthma reduce lung function
and increase the risk of heart issues to
minimize exposure stay indoors as much
as possible keep windows closed and use
air purifiers with hepailters
air quality updates are available at
airnow.gov and purpleair.com
if you will be celebrating outdoors use
broadspectctrum sun sunscreen with an
SPF of 15 or higher
stay hydrated
drink plenty of water throughout the day
even if you’re not thirsty
prevent heat related illnesses by taking
frequent breaks in shaded or
aironditioned areas on hot days always
supervise children around water
including pools lakes and beaches
maintain food safety by keeping
perishable foods chilled and don’t leave
them out for more than 2 hours or 1 hour
on days with 90° weather use a food
thermometer to ensure meats are cooked
to safe temperature when grilling and be
sure to wash your hands before during
and after food preparation to prevent
food poisoning
to protect against mosquito-born illness
wear insect repellent containing de
picaridin IR 3535
or oil of lemonuc eucalyptus
and finally if you’re feeling sick or
have CO 19 or flu-l like symptoms do not
attend public gatherings to protect
others and help prevent the spread of
illness
wearing a face mask and putting distance
between yourself and others can help
lower your risk of CO 19 transmission
additionally getting the CO 19 vaccine
can help protect you from severe illness
hospitalization and even death we hope
these simple steps can help Pasadin have
a safe and joyable Fourth of July i
would now like to invite Chris Ramon
from Pasadini Humane to speak about
helping our pets keep safe during the
holiday celebrations
like to talk about um celebrating a safe
4th of July holiday um and the effects
that it has on animals like coffee bean
here who is available for adoption
uh more pets go missing during the 4th
of July holiday than any other day of
the year loud fireworks cause panic
amongst our domestic and wildlife
animals some tips to remember are IDs
are essential make sure your pets wear a
collar with the current ID tag are
microchipped and that this is the best
chance of having them reunited if they
get out keeping your pets indoors the
safest place for your pet is inside your
home never bring pets to a fireworks
display
using calming tools a dedicated calm
room soft music or consulting with your
veterinarian on other ways to minimize
the stress keeping your animals busy
distracting them prior to any
festivities the night of
some of the things that we’re doing to
help the community for residents of our
service area we are offering a free
microchip clinic and designer license
tags for residents of the Pastina Humane
Jurisdiction
we’re also offering free pet alert
stickers and we are hosting a pet safety
workshop on June 21st from 11:00 a.m to
2:00 p.m if your pet goes missing check
your local shelter in person or online
every hour
post online uh via flyers or social
media and don’t give up some pets are
reunited one day and sometimes it can
take up to a week if you find a lost pet
try to reunite them in your neighborhood
using online tools or social media if
you can’t hold on to a pet bring that
pet to your local shelter and if the
animal is sick or injured seek immediate
help from a vet or your local shelter
thank you again our foothills behind us
burn through the eaten fires uh
vegetation’s growing back we don’t want
that false sense of security that these
mountains can’t burn again so we thank
you for being here today and we’ll have
them available for one-on- ones

Raids by ICE agents continue in the Pasadena area. As of Wednesday morning, several agents are spotted and reports are that at least six individuals had been taken away.

What to do if ICE comes to your home or approaches your vehicle, click here.

We could hear and see a helicopter circling around the area when the raid was taking place.

Plain clothes, face coverings, unmarked cars. I would assume I was being kidnapped.

Some speculate that

They are not ice. They are bounty hunters. That don’t have the right to pull you over. They need a warrant. They are getting paid 1500 per person. They dont have the right training.

Here’s a video from near the Winchell’s Donut:

https://neighbors.ring.com/n/VrQEM4vtmZ

Per Judy Chu

As you can see, these ICE agents are pointing guns at innocent individuals, no warrants, no explanations, just fear and intimidation. These raids in my district are absolutely vile. Masked and armed like a militia, they’re terrorizing families and destroying any sense of safety in our communities. This is not law enforcement it’s a gross abuse of power, and I will not stand for it. Video Credit: @ausiime, footage from this morning in Pasadena (6/18)

The management of the Pasadena Rose Bowl, has not learned lessons about how to take care of visitors of the Rose Bowl, many paying a lot of money.

This past Sunday June 15, 2025, with temperatures well above 90 degrees, the Rose Bowl made patrons empty water bottles and if they wanted water would have to stand in lines that took 45minutes just to buy a bottle of water.

Where are the hydration stations? Why not allow visitors to bring in water bottles?

This situation after seeing the fiasco a year ago with soccer fans lighting fireworks in the stands at the Rose Bowl.  What is really going on here?

Read about the reports of experiences at the Guardian.

On a Sunday afternoon, while attending the Pasadena Chalk Festival I decided to park and attempt to charge at the DC Fast chargers offered at the city owned parking garage.

While most of the Tesla Superchargers are operational, one look at the PWP chargers and the majority of them are blocked off.  Although the app shows there are 12 available there are nowhere near that many available, perhaps 4 as 4 had been in use whey I attempted to charge. Attempts to charge at one charger was unsuccessful when one person left I was able to attempt to charge, but had to wait for the PowerFlex app to update that the charger was no longer in use.

Most of these chargers at the Marengo Plaza do not have the updated signage that shows that only cable per charger is usable at a time.

If a cable is not in the holster, there may be a trigger that prevents the charger from functioning properly which may be another issue altogether.

When I created a CSC request for maintenance of the chargers at Marengo Plaza parking and the issue with having to pay for parking this is the response I received.

===============

Thank you for contacting the CSC. As of this morning the PowerFlex app shows 18 charging stations in our system. The “available” language means that there are no faults online that give a reason that the charger will not work. The fact that a charger is blocked physically at the location will not automatically change this on the app. Chargers #3-#8 are expected to be available to the public on 6/20/2025. These are replacement units and still have some additional commissioning and testing before they will be available. The other chargers were blocked off for safety reasons during the installs last week. Chargers #9-#20 should be available for use this afternoon. As of Friday, Chargers #1, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, and #20 were all tested and provided charging sessions. This is 9 chargers that were working as of Friday. If you do have issues using the app, please call the support line at PowerFlex with any issues while you are charging . That is the fastest way to receive help as well as log in issues that can be addressed quickly. You may not be aware, but many stores within the Paseo do validate parking including Starbucks. You can get a coffee while you wait and park for free. Lastly, the City does not exclude any EV from charging at a PowerUp station. Any EV is welcome to charge on a first-come, first-served basis and this includes Tesla vehicles.

=================

While it is good to hear that the six new chargers that are apparently show as powered on and available are slated to be available on June 20, 2025, that doesn’t help that the chargers are showing as available on the app but when you arrive they are blocked off.

As democratic legislators vote against a bill to halt the increase in gas tax, consumers will be faced with an increase in gas at the pump. California already has one of the highest prices on gas.

Now prices could jump 65 cents or more in a matter of months.  While some insist that the prices will not be more than a few added cents. Every little increase chips away at the budgets families in one of the most expensive states to live in just keeps getting more expensive.

The debate of why there is the gas tax increase and the move to EV’s and away from gas powered vehicles. Some say that by 2030 we could see gas approaching $10 a gallon.  Some sights are well over $6. With recent declines, but prices fluctuate with the price of crude oil either domestic or imported.

Senate Bill 2 had aimed to halt proposed changes to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) that were approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in November

Senate Bill 2 Roll call

As many know the state of DC Fast charging in Pasadena has declined significantly.  While efforts are being made, the improvements have been minimal at best.

A recently provided report on the state of DC Fast chargers paints a picture that is worse than has been reported…  Pasadena Now refused to approve a comment made on their story, that claimed that PWP reports 60% of chargers are working and that ZERO DC Fast chargers are operational in Glendale.  Both of which claims are blatantly false.

The data provided through a PRA request   There are some obvious missteps the city is taking regarding the control and management of the DC Fast charger systems.  Hopefully we see some adjustments and corrections made.

Several people have sent in correspondence related to the City Budget for 2025-2026 related to the state of EV Charging.

PRA last week.

I converted the pdf into an Excel file to more easily digest the
information and it is worse than what I have experienced.

The summary on the bottom of the Excel says it all.

45 Total
12 Operational
28 Non Operational
5 Partial- Not operational
33 Total not functioning properly
27% Percent Operational
73% Percent Non Operational

1. The new parking of 2 hours on fast chargers is not acceptable, it
is not a best practice to "allow" a 2 hour use of a fast charger.  Del
Mar has a 30min posted limit.  That's what we need at all locations.
If you leave and come back or switch to another charger, that's ok,
but at least give someone else a change to charge.

2.  The rate PWP is charging is low, to the point that many charge on
PWP chargers vs at home because the rate can be less.   The rate is
about half of what others including Tesla, charge.  Why? The rate
seriously needs to be increased to at least a 25% increase.  Still
competitive and have funds to properly maintain chargers.

3. Someone needs to ask where all the money went? Where did the millions go?

4. Overstay fees need to be implemented, if you are fully charged or
over the 30 minutes on DC fast charging you should be charged 50cents
a minute or more. Tesla charges $1 per minute.  This is a precious
resource that needs property use rules. And those that don't follow
should be penalized.

5. Parking enforcement needs to better patrol the EV charges and
enforce CVC 22511 which is posted.

6. We need to stop comparing with other cities that may or may not
have worse charging situations.  Why not compare to cities that have
better charging and have partnerships with EV charging companies like
IONNA and Gravity and EVCS and others...

7. On point 6, the bottom line may be that PWP/Pasadena should not be
in the EV charging space. Mismanagement challenges and other issues
have plagued the project.  Perhaps it makes sense to engage multiple
vendors/providers to install / replace those charger locations that
are not working, like Glanarm/Arroyo. That site has been mostly out of
service for many months. There is basically one working charger and it
is a handicap parking spot.
Most of the chargers PWP has deployed are slower than the slowest
Tesla Supercharger at 50Kw from PWP to 72kW from Tesla... The latest
generation of common DC Fast Chargers are upwards of 250kW and even
much higher.  That's where we need to be.

Pasadena has prided itself in having EV charging in Pasadena.  And we will focus on DC Fast chargers.

For a long time, there’s been a decline in the Pasadena PWP’s ability to not only manage but maintain the city EV charging infrastructure.

In particular we see that with DC Fast charging which is what the majority of people who charge their vehicles want.  Having over 200 L2 chargers is a waste of city resources.  They could get rid of 75% of these chargers and very few people would notice or care.  The focus needs to be on DC Fast charging and having a bunch of 50kW chargers that are older than five years is contributing to the problem.  The city blames contractors and manufacturers for the state of the chargers, but there are other EV networks using the exact same chargers with remarkable reliability.

For instance EVCS a local company based in Arcadia has more EV chargers than PWP and from personal experience the reliability of these chargers is almost 100%.  The biggest problem with EVCS is access to the chargers, for instance with EVCS the DC Fast chargers at LA Fitness which they have a partnership with, most of the time at the Pasadena location there are cars blocking access to the chargers.  Vehicles are parked in the spots not charging, may times not even an EV.  There is a CVC 22511 that if posted would allow for the citing and towing of vehicles in violation.

The city needs to strongly consider engaging with providers who know how to manage this space.

Mistakes have been made, to double down with spending even more money to haphazardly try to “fix” what is broken doesn’t seem to be working.

The disarray of EV chargers at Glenarm/Arroyo has been disastrous, to have basically one out of eight working.  And the that works has a electrical tape patched connector and is a handicap parking spot.  The Powerflex app shows two chargers working, only one works as of the past few days.

There’s a new Italian Deli coming to Pasadena. Located in what used to be The George at 1615 E Washington Blvd, Pasadena.

Construction is in process and the signs are up that the owners are looking for servers, hosts, and cooks.

The name of the restaurant is The Italian Deli.  website

https://www.theitaliandeli.co/

The can be reached at info@theitaliandeli.com

They have applied for a new liquor license type 41 for beer and wine, under the United Restaurants LLC.

Public Health Launches Eaton Fire Soil Testing Program

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is launching a residential soil lead testing program in the area downwind of the Eaton Fire.

Following a motion by the Board of Supervisors on April 15, Public Health has been directed to use up to $3 million from the County’s Lead Paint Hazard Mitigation Program to carry out a targeted testing initiative for homes downwind of the Eaton Fire—where the most significant lead findings from the soil sampling conducted by Roux Associates and confirmed by multiple independent researchers, including Caltech and the LA Times.

The program is expected to run until December 2025.

The program uses a self-collection model: residents will be provided with simple, clear instructions on how to collect soil samples from their own yards and drop off their sample at the One Stop Permit Center – Public Health Table at 464 W. Woodbury Road, Suite 210, Altadena, CA 91001 Monday–Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

“Los Angeles County is committed to being responsive to the needs of our residents impacted by the Eaton Fire, which is why we’re providing soil testing resources and support to ensure residents can make informed decisions about their health,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger. “The Department of Public Health’s soil testing program is free, convenient and will provide concerned residents accurate information about the environmental health of their soil.”

“We know how deeply concerned residents are about the safety of their homes and neighborhoods,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “This soil testing program for properties downwind of the Eaton Fire—where the highest lead levels were found—is meant to provide accurate, data-driven information for residents to make informed choices to protect their health.”

The samples will be picked up by certified laboratories contracted by the County. Residents will receive results by email within 7 to 10 business days, along with a link to a dedicated webpage that helps residents interpret results and offers health-based guidance on what to do next.

About 26,000 homes in the areas where the highest levels of lead soil concentrations will receive postcards in the mail and Public Health will conduct targeted door to door outreach.

Those impacted by the Eaton Fire interested in participating can visit ph.lacounty.gov/eaton-soil-testing for more information.