By Eric Licas
The Review
The South Pasadena City Council at its June 18 meeting considered proposals to streamline the network of advisory committees and commissions supporting them.
A plan put forth by city staff would dissolve several ad hoc committees that have either completed goals or continue to overlap with other bodies. City officials also considered merging several committees that share members and some scope of work.
These include the consolidation of the following into single groups:
• Youth, Senior Citizen, and Parks and Recreation Commissions
• Planning, Public Art, Cultural Heritage and Design Review Commissions
• Public Works, Natural Resources and Environment, and Mobility and Transportation Infrastructure Commissions
“This is not about a commission not doing a good job,” Councilwoman Janet Braun said. The real question is trying to make the work more efficient.”
Councilmembers raised concerns regarding how committees with different term length might be combined, the number of seats the new groups would have and how they would be appointed.
The council asked city staff to provide more detailed analysis on the matter, and planned on discussing those issues further at a special City Council meeting on Thursday, June 27.
SPECIAL MEETING TACKLES ELECTION SIGNAGE
Over the years, residents have raised complaints regarding how long campaign signs are displayed, their unwanted placement on or removal from private property, and their potential for generating clutter and distractions for motorists on streets and public spaces, City Attorney Roxanne Diaz said.
The version of the ordinance brought up for Council’s consideration on June 18 sought to address those issues. But those could also mean significant changes to the way candidates promote themselves in South Pasadena this election season. The ordinance was expected to be put to a vote during a special City Council meeting Thursday, June 27, which was held after the Review’s Wednesday print deadline.
The proposed rules would only apply to signs promoting candidates for office or specific ballot measures, Diaz said. The proposals include a specific window spanning from 35 days before an election to two days afterward in which signs may be displayed. They would only be placed or removed from private property with the owner’s consent. On top of that, signs would be banned from all public property, including from medians dividing streets and the tree and grass-lined parkways along sidewalks.
“That’s where 90% of the signs have been, so this would be a big change,” said Councilman Jon Primuth at the June 18 meeting, when councilmembers requested city staff to amend the proposed ordinance. The amendment was set to be presented at the special meeting June 27.
Primuth also pointed out that the initial version of the ordinance presented during the June 18 meeting dictates that each property would be limited to one sign per measure or office on the ballot, which could potentially lead to issues at apartments or commercial buildings where a property owner has allowed tenants with differing political views to put up signs.
“Avoiding visual blight is good, but I really think the restrictions can be taken too far,” Primuth said.
First published in the June 28 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
