NOVEMBER/DECEMBER  2006

Local Ballot Measures

Deck the Halls Safely
 

Plant Bank Comes Back to Life

Local Ballot Measures

Step up to the ballot box Tuesday, Nov. 7, and have your say on two local issues.  Measure A asks whether the city should allow the National Football League (NFL) to renovate the Rose Bowl for professional football games; Measure B asks voters to adopt or reject changes to the Taxpayer Protection Amendment, which prohibits Pasadena public officials who approve contracts or transactions of a certain dollar amount from receiving gifts, campaign contributions or employment from the recipients of those contracts or transactions.

If you would like to take on a larger role in community issues, consider running for mayor, city council or school board. The filing period for candidates begins Monday, Nov. 13, and ends Friday, Dec. 8, for the March 6 election. That day, voters will elect Pasadena's mayor; city council representatives for districts 1, 2, 4 and 6; and board of education seats 2, 4 and 6.

Learn more about running for office at one of two special workshops hosted by the city clerk Monday, Nov. 13, at 8 a.m. and Friday, Nov. 17, at 5:30 p.m. in the fourth floor conference room at the interim Pasadena City Hall, 117 E. Colorado Blvd.

You can also make a difference by serving as a poll worker or by offering your home or business as an accessible polling site. Bilingual workers are especially needed. Help your community by signing up today! There is a stipend of $105 to $130.

For more information on elections, visit www.cityofpasadena.net/cityclerk/election or call 744-4124.

Deck the Halls Safely

The holiday season is always busy for local firefighters because of faulty decorations, candles and Christmas trees. Pasadena Fire Department urges you to observe these safety tips:

• Choose a fresh Christmas tree that has been kept in water at all times. The needles should be green and stay put when you pull them.

• Don't put your tree up too early or leave it up longer than two weeks after the holidays. Dried-out trees can ignite and spread fires quickly.

• Set up your tree in a safe place away from heat sources such as fireplaces and heat vents.

• Inspect your holiday lights before you use them to make sure they don't have frayed wires, gaps in the insulation, broken or cracked sockets or excessive wear. Only use lighting that is listed by an approved testing laboratory. Turn off the lights when you're not home.

• Don't overload electrical outlets or link more than three light strands unless directions say it's safe. Periodically check wires; they shouldn't be warm to the touch.

• Use only non-flammable decorations that are placed away from heat vents. If you use an artificial tree, make sure it's flame retardant.

• If you use candles, make sure they're in sturdy holders and set them where children and pets can't knock them down. Never leave lit candles unattended and never leave the house with candles burning.

• Always remember to keep fresh batteries in your smoke detectors and practice your family evacuation plans.

For more information, call 744-7276 or contact lderderian@cityofpasadena.net.

Plant Bank Comes Back to Life

The Pasadena Plant Bank is open for business
24 hours a day, 365 days a year at the southeast
end of the parking lot at Jackie Robinson Center,
1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave.

A partnership of the city and the Pasadena Beautiful Foundation, the plant bank is a perfect way to recycle plants that otherwise would have been thrown away. Any Pasadena resident can "deposit" surplus shrubs, trees and flowering plants, or "withdraw" what they need for their own gardens, free of charge. No need to sign in - just leave living plants on the benches in pots, cans, milk cartons or plastic bags, with their roots covered and moistened.

For more details or to offer suggestions, email plantbank@pasadenabeautiful.org,
call 795-9704, or visit www.pasadenabeautiful.org.