Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Pasadena’s Department of Transportation has temporarily modified its parking policy to reduce the financial burden on residents and local businesses.
Changes by the department’s Parking Division include suspending enforcement of the overnight parking ordinance and of time limits in residential neighborhoods. The division also is suspending daytime street sweeping restrictions and payment at all curbside parking spaces.
Other temporary changes:
• All metered parking spaces will be temporarily converted to 20-minute parking to facilitate delivery and pickup of food from restaurants. The 20-minute limit on these spaces will be enforced.
• Individuals looking to park long term should park in parking garages and walk to their destination.
• Vehicle impounds that aren’t critical are temporarily suspended.
• There is a temporary suspension of booting and impounds for five or more past-due parking citations and for vehicles with expired registrations.
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Huntington Hospital Opens Temporary Blood Donor Center
As the only trauma center in the San Gabriel Valley, we rely on the community’s generosity to help us maintain a full supply of blood. Your support is extremely valuable and makes a huge difference in meeting the health needs of the community.
Huntington Hospital has moved the community Blood Donor Center to 800 S. Fairmount Ave. in Pasadena. Blood donation hours are Monday-Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Friday, 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. To schedule a donation, call (626) 397-5422.
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Four Ways to Navigate the New Abnormal
By Jay Wagener, Special to The Outlook
As we head further into our nation’s response to COVID-19, it feels like every day we are bombarded with an entirely new mass of information, including rules and regulations regarding how we are supposed to carry on our daily lives. Since these rules are mandatory, we are forced to adapt to these changing circumstances.
Two weeks ago we were planning vacations, going to movies, eating at restaurants, planning to graduate and going to work. One of my patients, who had lobbied for years to have a work-from-home week, told me he would give anything to go back to work for just one day. This new abnormal has become the new normal. COVID-19 has forced us to examine how we will adapt to a new way of being.
The way in which we adapt to these new circumstances is the challenge. Psychologists call the successful adaptation process “resilience.” The American Psychological Association defines resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, tragedy, threats of significant sources of stress such as serious health problems or workplace or financial stress. As much as resilience involves ‘bouncing back’ from these difficult experiences, it can also involve personal growth.”
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Officials Brace for Possible COVID-19 Spike, Discuss Care Site Options
Pasadena’s Eaton Canyon Nature Center reported sizable crowds after government announcements directed people to stay home because of coronavirus concerns, but reminding them they could get out and walk.
As of Tuesday, local parks and trails remained open, although nearby cities announced closures due to overcrowding.
As occurrences of the coronavirus surged in Los Angeles County and California this week, local officials announced a doubling of Pasadena cases and expectations of a further increase, and said they are seeking alternate care sites should the patient load outpace the availability of beds as the health crisis worsens.
Huntington Hospital and the city are collaborating with local public health departments, as well as other hospitals, to identify possible sites to treat and quarantine patients, much like the county’s arrangement to use the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel in Pomona should the local health care system become overwhelmed.
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Huntington Hospital’s Letter to the Community
By Dr. Lori Morgan, President and CEO, Huntington Hospital
Even as the spread of COVID-19 impacts the health of our community and upends our daily living, we want to assure everyone that Huntington Hospital remains committed to the mission and purpose that has guided us for more than 128 years: to provide excellent health care and compassionate service to each patient entrusted to our care. As it should be, our main focus is caring for our patients and community in this unprecedented health crisis.
Huntington Hospital is doing everything it can to ensure the finest care for all its current and future COVID-19 patients. Our highly skilled medical professionals are following all the right processes and procedures to help protect those most in need. Importantly, we are preserving limited supplies of essential medical resources and taking steps to increase hospital bed capacity for COVID-19 patients. We are also focusing first on those patients most severely and seriously in need right now.
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Pasadena Can Succeed — Together — in Coronavirus Fight
By Terry Tornek, Mayor of Pasadena
As you know, Pasadena, Los Angeles County and the state of California have all issued unprecedented anti-virus regulations — called “Safer at Home.”
These regulations ask everyone to stay at home and have closed most businesses. We have taken these draconian steps because our medical professionals told us that it is the only way to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. If we don’t slow it down, if the number of cases continues to double every few days, our medical system will be overwhelmed and more people will die.
These rules are in effect until April 19, but that will most likely be extended; perhaps for MONTHS. We just can’t be sure right now.
In spite of our best efforts, more people will be infected. If you don’t feel well, call your doctor — don’t go to the emergency room.
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Pasadena Unified School District Details Proactive Response to Coronavirus
The unprecedented impact of the coronavirus has warranted an equally unprecedented response, and the Pasadena Unified School District is proud to be on the forefront of educational and institutional leadership during this time.
We have worked hard to prepare, act quickly in response to a fluid and ever-changing situation, and to bring together resources to ensure that teachers in the district have the support they need to teach effectively. We have also made sure that children have the tools they need to continue to learn and thrive with as little interruption as possible.
Here’s how it all happened:
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LCUSD Closes All Schools
The La Cañada Unified School District Governing Board directed Superintendent Wendy Sinnette to shut down all of its schools Friday because of the coronavirus threat.
The action was taken at a special meeting of the board on Thursday night with another meeting scheduled to review the decision next Thursday.
Teachers and staff members will be on site today for parents and children to obtain their items as well as to answer questions. Students will not report today through Monday, March 23. Teachers and staff will also prepare further materials to be sent home to students via distance learning.
“(Today) is a stop gap,” Sinnette said before the decision was made. “Classes would not be in session in the traditional manner. Classes would be open, a facility for parents who are in a tight situation because it’s now 8 p.m.,” Sinnette said.
LCFEF Gala Is Canceled
The La Cañada Flintridge Educational Foundation, citing “public health risks that the coronavirus disease poses in large public gatherings,” has made the unprecedented decision to cancel the organization’s 29th annual Spring Gala, which was scheduled for March 21.
“This is a huge loss for us because it’s our main fundraiser, but public safety outweighs it,” LCFEF Executive Director Marilyn Yang said. LCFEF and La Cañada Unified School District officials “are aligned in this decision, out of an abundance of caution,” she added.
The gala, which is widely regarded as the city’s biggest social event of the year, has drawn upward of 700 attendees. Last year, it netted more than $500,000, with gross revenue likely in excess of $700,000.
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LCUSD Cancels Student Trips Amid Coronavirus Precaution
The La Cañada Unified School District Governing Board instructed Superintendent Wendy Sinnette this week to cancel student out-of-state field trips involving air travel because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the district is also assessing the importance of large group activities amid social distancing precautions.
At a regular meeting of the board Tuesday night, Sinnette and LCUSD’s Chief Technology Officer Jamie Lewsadder delivered a detailed report about the district’s plans regarding the possibility of school closures. The board also discussed upcoming air-travel field trips outside California as an agenda item and voted to cancel them.
Following the meeting, Sinnette sent out a district-wide letter about the decision.
The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is a respiratory illness that has spread worldwide. In a statement Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said there were 27 cases in the county, including three reported by the city of Long Beach. Officials also reported the county’s first coronavirus-related fatality; the woman who died was an older woman with underlying health issues and a nonresident who had been visiting friends.
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