[ACT] the urban forest, opprotunities

[Daniel Stuart]

Then I suppose you either do not do your own shopping or do not frequent the Vons on Allen where Mr. Haussler's youthful countenance is frozen in time at every aisle!

SSL wrote: 
> Strange, I have known Mr. Haussler for what something like twenty five or thirty years and I have never associated him with a vegetable....I once associated him with Wrightian textile block construction and really good lighting... but never a vegetable. I now associate him with turbo charged SAABS and hair that never goes gray, but not vegetables.... --- On Thu, 2/26/09, Daniel Stuart <danielkstuart at yahoo.com> wrote: From: Daniel Stuart <danielkstuart at yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [ACT] the urban forest, opprotunities To: "danielkstuart at yahoo.com" <danielkstuart at yahoo.com> Cc: "shaussler at earthlink.net" <shaussler at earthlink.net>, "steve_lamb57 at sbcglobal.net" <steve_lamb57 at sbcglobal.net>,
>  "bbogaard at ci.pasadena.ca.us" <bbogaard at ci.pasadena.ca.us>, "gaboon at sbcglobal.net" <gaboon at sbcglobal.net>, "chaneytrail at yahoogroups.com" <chaneytrail at yahoogroups.com>, "pnovak at lacbos.org" <pnovak at lacbos.org>, "v668510 at yahoo.com" <v668510 at yahoo.com>, "act at fourpalms.org" <act at fourpalms.org>, "fifthdistrict at lacbos.org" <fifthdistrict at lacbos.org> Date: Thursday, February 26, 2009, 8:21 PM As I hope is obvious - this last email was directed at Harvester Steve Lamb. Not the always reasonable Mr. Haussler whom I think of fondly whenever I buy groceries! Daniel Stuart wrote: > Those trees are treasures and every effort should be made to promote their health and longevity.  They should not be harvested for profit and I would not even want that possibility on the radar since it only takes three of four Councilpersons on a bad night to permanently muck things up for everybody. 
>  I think that perhaps your deep family history with the neighborhood might be giving you a somewhat amplified and misplaced sense of ownership - as if those trees are somehow yours to trifle with as your current sensibilities may dictate.  Those trees belong to everybody and nobody.  They are incredible living things that could and should outlive all of us.  Their &quot;market value&quot; as dead harvested trees really should have no place in any sort of serious City planning discussion. > Steve Haussler wrote: >> As far as I know, my mother (Astrid Ellersieck) never took credit for creating the term "Bungalow Heaven."  She told me early researchers (ca. 1982 +/-) found an ad using that term, for some of the development in what we now call that area.   Steve Haussler -----Original Message----- >>  From: SSL >>  Sent: Feb 26, 2009 5:44 PM >>  To: Daniel Stuart
>  >>  Cc: "bbogaard at ci.pasadena.ca.us" , "gaboon at sbcglobal.net" , "chaneytrail at yahoogroups.com" , "pnovak at lacbos.org" , "v668510 at yahoo.com" , "act at fourpalms.org" , "fifthdistrict at lacbos.org" >>  Subject: Re: [ACT] the urban forest, opprotunities >>  Daniel- Play God? How funny. Since I do not proscribe what unsafe trees may not be taken down due to some alleged equivelant their lives have to humans, I find this as sappy as the rest of the arguments I've heard from so called environmentalists on these issues. I think I've got you beat on Bungalow Heaven. My Great Grandfather built much of it, his entire extended family lived in it for decades, my Granparents, father, Aunt, ec cetera and I've worked on restoring much of it. y family was intregal to it the first time it was the hot place in Pasadena to live, remember the excellent decades ,stayed on through the difficult years and are still there.
>  I was even at the Party where Astrid Ellersiek came up with the name Bungalow Heaven.... Those beloved trees on Michigan are under stress. they are and have been for several years in bad >>  health. Far be it from me to suggest something SANE like harvesting them and using them for furniture and local jobs creation why thats somehow God like in a maniacal evil sort of way. If Mr. Sheldon has been getting this level of Discourse and were I him, I'd be chainsawing those trees on Colorado myself..... SO its your idea to leave the trees be, let them die, and then take bets as to if they take out a car sidewalk some sewage and some street, or a house, and then chip it for compost? I guess thats not playing god as you say, but it seems pretty irresponsible and wasteful to me and not at all honoring the life the tree lived. Steve --- On Thu, 2/26/09, Daniel Stuart <danielkstuart at yahoo.com> wrote: From: Daniel
>  Stuart <danielkstuart at yahoo.com> Subject: RE: the urban forest, >>  opprotunities To: "steve_lamb57 at sbcglobal.net" <steve_lamb57 at sbcglobal.net> Cc: "chaneytrail at yahoogroups.com" <chaneytrail at yahoogroups.com>, "act at fourpalms.org" <act at fourpalms.org>, "gaboon at sbcglobal.net" <gaboon at sbcglobal.net>, "bbogaard at ci.pasadena.ca.us" <bbogaard at ci.pasadena.ca.us>, "fifthdistrict at lacbos.org" <fifthdistrict at lacbos.org>, "pnovak at lacbos.org" <pnovak at lacbos.org>, "snemer at bos.lacounty.gov" <snemer at bos.lacounty.gov>, "v668510 at yahoo.com" <v668510 at yahoo.com> Date: Thursday, February 26, 2009, 7:54 AM I grew up in Bungalow Heaven before it WAS Bungalow Heaven (1046 N Michigan). My paper route extended from Holliston to Lake to Washington to Mountain.  I know that beautiful forest like the back of my hand.  I started to read your email but when you started
>  discussing the market price for harveting Bungalow Heavens oak trees my eyes rolled backwards and I >>  had to stop reading.  I hope that your plan to play God (for profit?) with your grandfathers tree and the rest of that beautiful neighborhood gains no traction. SSL wrote: > Daniel- Wow I lay out a whole series of outlines for plans for long term sustainable urban forestry, as a objective that perhaps all sides can take resulting from this issue and the response is "Uh oh watch out Bungalow Heaven"? Just for your information, my Grandparents house is on Michigan in Bungalow Heaven. They are dead, but it is still in my family.  I love those trees. The tree that shelters my Grandparents entire front lawn and half its roof is a dear old friend, a longtime artistic and architectural muse, and very beloved by me, as are each of those trees. It has been my friend for fifty one years and my fathers friend for
>  most of his seventy five years. It is about 105 years old and was planted by the City about 100 years >>  ago. It's also clearly not in good health. About thirty percent of the trees on Michigan are. It >  needs either care the city won't give it, or to be taken down. If it is to be taken down, it should after having been such a blessing to the entire community, at least be made into furniture to be loved for more generations as opposed to being made chips for shoal canyons mulch pile. Perhaps you believe its better to do nothing until it either falls over on the street or house someday? If the City understood the real value as a urban forest, and yes as a crop, these trees had, they probably would pay them more attention and care and they probably would lead longer lives...But it seems many are being doomed by inaction and carelessness to the chipper. Watch out Bungalow Heaven indeed! SSL --- On Wed,
>  2/25/09, Daniel Stuart <danielkstuart at yahoo.com> wrote: From: Daniel Stuart > >>  <danielkstuart at yahoo.com> Subject: RE: the urban forest, opprotunities To: "steve_lamb57 at sbcglobal.net" <steve_lamb57 at sbcglobal.net> Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 4:11 PM Uh oh watch out Bungalow Heaven SSL wrote: > Daniel- I think cities traditionally pay for street trees. I don't really see why a special district should be imposed on the businesses for the planting and maintaining of trees that are the Cities responsibility. Pasadena is already one of the most ridiculously expensive cities to try to run a local independent business in. Yes Chinese City Planning sucks. This is a surprise why? These trees were ADDITIONAL trees planted as a understory to the Mexican Fan Palms. They were called for by the CITIZENS. If additional costs are to be borne for them, I think its fitting to tax the citizens
>  who want them, not the businesses who were (except for Vromans) very >  reluctant from the >>  start. If as you say, the trees are a public trust, let the public pay. If of course they are not a public trust, but a benefit to the businesses, then it makes sense that >  the businesses should be able to decide what to plant, how to maintain and when to kill the trees. Its only fair. I argue, as I have for thirty years that street trees are indeed a public trust. I also argue as I have for thirty years that they are being poorly managed. That street trees should be grown in a manner that does not cause maintenance problems and that yields to sustainable harvest for human use. How to do this is not a secret. the French Belgians, Germans,Dutch , Portugesee, Danes, Norwegians all do this. In fact much of Bungalow Heaven is due for partial harvest and replanting as the trees are at perfect furniture making age
>  and size and are becoming dangerous. Chipping them would be extremely wasteful. The >  tree trunks on >>  Michigan are worth as timber and lumber TEN DOLLARS A BOARD FOOT (retail) thats TENS of THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS EACH.  A board foot is a piece of wood 12"x12" x 1". I suspect that many of them would yeild high >  quality veneers, worth hundreds of times more than that. In fifty or one hundred years furniture quality wood will be worth a fortune. Pasadena could and should have a valuable resource, desired worldwide, if it plants and manages wisely. And of course in the meantime there are trees to enjoy. I wrote a long paper about this way way back when Loretta Glickman was Mayor. My copy burned in by 1994 studio fire, and I bet the City just "round filed" their copy. Hari Khalsa and I worked on a proposal for this later in the Early 1990's. I bet that got round filed also by the City. I also
>  sent  a proposal; to Supervisor Antonovich in the late 1980's to have a alternative > sentencing program for >>  first time offenders where they would do time cutting fire breaks, planting and tending native plant nurseries and replanting the Angeles National Forest to the condition it was in prior to the mexican ranchos burning off the forest in order to alter the >  climate. This would have had timber, carbon scrubbing and flood control benefits and it would have been less expensive per inmate than jail. We could have even sold carbon credits to partly fund it. That program was expressly religious in that I was also interested in restoring broken lives and the Supervisor's office did give it some consideration and asked me to re write it without the spiritual componant, something I did not do. Perhaps I should revisit that, especially since the County would probably like a less expensive more
>  beneficial to society alternative to jails. But this is all doable and really should be examined seriously. >  Steve Lamb P.S. >>  Copying Mike Antonovich becaue the County of Los Angeles should look into this too. --- On Wed, 2/25/09, Daniel Stuart <danielkstuart at yahoo.com> wrote: From: >  Daniel Stuart <danielkstuart at yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [ACT] [chaneytrail] Council Report Re: Trees on Colorado Blvd / Stumps Painted Green / Next Steps To: chaneytrail at yahoogroups.com, act at fourpalms.org, steve_lamb57 at sbcglobal.net Cc: "Adrian Garcia" <gaboon at sbcglobal.net>, "Bill Bogaard" <bbogaard at ci.pasadena.ca.us> Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 9:50 AM Thanks Steve.  My thought was that the City and the merchants should share some of the costs of maintaining the trees.  I never thought that Vromans should bear that burden alone.  I also thought that the idea of doing truly
>  necessary >  tree replacement in phases was a good one (instead of turning the sidewalks into a moonscape for 20+ > >>  years).  I think the City is being penny-wise and pound-foolish, replacing one problem (tree maintenance) with another problem (drastically diminished ambience and unhappy consumers).  It reminds me of City planning in China in the last half of the last century.  I was in Beijing in the mid-90s and the thick dust was choking.  I was told by our Guide that the City planners, decades earlier, had decided that bird waste was a problem - so they KILLED ALL THE BIRDS.  Then the inspect >  population exploded!  So what did they do?  They destroyed all of the insect nests which were mostly in brush that provided ground cover on the outskirts of town.  But without the ground cover, the soil got kicked up by the persistent winds and the
>  entire metro area became a dustbowl.  The problem here is that, in the middle of a recession, with many businesses struggling >  to >>  survive, the City did the worst thing possible - give consumers a reason to shop elsewhere!  Any measurable drop in business could be the difference between survival and closure for some of these merchants.  As for Joel and Vromans - I'm still stung by the conflict between his apparent "kill the trees" testimony and Vromans official "blame the City" propaganda.  I think that Joel owes the community (and perhaps the City and perhaps Vromans' executives) an explanation and, perhaps, a mea culpa.  The day I see that >  op-ed piece or letter to the editor with Joel's byline is that next day I will spend $100 at Vromans.  >  --- On Wed, 2/25/09, SSL <steve_lamb57 at sbcglobal.net> wrote: >  From:
>  SSL <steve_lamb57 at sbcglobal.net> Subject: Re: [ACT] [chaneytrail] Council Report Re: Trees on Colorado Blvd / Stumps Painted Green / Next Steps To: > >>  chaneytrail at yahoogroups.com, act at fourpalms.org, danielkstuart at yahoo.com Cc: "Adrian Garcia" <gaboon at sbcglobal.net>, "Bill Bogaard" <bbogaard at ci.pasadena.ca.us> Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 7:43 AM >  Daniel- I don't think I could disagree with the idea that the trees are good in the long run for business. Afterall, thirty years ago I was one of the 15 or so people with the idea. Sadly, we knew the project waqs doomed the day the City who didnt want these trees in the first place planted wrong species and did it in a way that they could not possibly survive. Joel Sheldon is the WRONG person to pick as the bad guy here.  First he had the impact of the trees blocking visability to his business then he has the impact of the
>  improperly planted trees tearing up the sidewalk in front of his business and clogging his sewage drains. No help from the City comes for years and years on end. > >>  Finally the solution offered by the City is to take the trees they never wanted to plant in the first place out. So here Vromans is one of the businesses that should be benefiting from the trees being harmed by them. Their > monthly costs due to sewage repairs go up, their liability for potential lawsuit goes up. So sure they get to the point they want the trees out, afterall they ain't crazy you know. Its perfectly well to say he should bear the costs for the good of all, but how much extra are you willing to pay for his books so he can bear it? Vromans has amazing service and really good book prices. Its an independant thats over 100 years old and still hanging on,a social and cultural institution.But its holding on and thats been a
>  very difficult venture fort ehm over the last decade. I think  Vromans is more valuable than the street trees it and I helped bring about. But I do think we should replant > >>  street trees on Colorado. This morniong I went up Lake North of Mountian and looked carefully. The City about a decade ago planted Sycamore and native oaks. They did this with large cut outs on the sidewalk and deep watering systems. Those trees are getting along >  just fine. Right now they are at sign height but not so full as to obscure the whole building. By the time they have a full canopy in another twenty years they will be above sign height and perfect. Lets look to a solution like that, try to get the City to properly plant some trees that will provide eventually some useful shade and wont eat the sidewalk or the sewer lines. I bet you can get Vromans on board with that. I think we could get the Arroyo Seco
>  Council to donate the trees. You actually want to plant them fairly young so they won't have learned any bad habits and you can train them to take deep water. Just as one of those crazy >>  ideas...I wonder >  if we could take roof water that runs out into the gutter and place it in small cisterns that are then used to feed water to the trees. ...... You should go buy a book at Vromans this week. Afterall, book loving is about the free exchange of ideas and we shouldn't punish people in a >  democracy just because they disagree with us, especially if they consider our opinions and have a partial change of heart. Steve Lamb --- On Tue, 2/24/09, Daniel Stuart <danielkstuart at yahoo.com> wrote: >  From: Daniel Stuart <danielkstuart at yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [ACT] [chaneytrail] Council Report Re: Trees on Colorado Blvd / Stumps Painted Green / Next Steps To: chaneytrail at yahoogroups.com,
>  act at fourpalms.org, steve_lamb57 at sbcglobal.net Cc: "Adrian Garcia" <gaboon at sbcglobal.net> Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 11:14 PM I have spoken with Joel about this a couple of times during the >>  past few weeks. as >  I told Joel, I have great sympathy for businesses who have received little or no support from the City for tree-related issues such as sewer and trip-and-fall safety problems.  In my view, the trees, on City property, are a sort of public trust.  They benefited the businesses by creating a pleasant ambiance with which to attract customers, they benefited customers who enjoyed them and they benefited the >  City by promoting a unique aesthetic.  How many places in Southern California can you stroll past vintage indie bookstores, theaters and newsstands under the shade of trees four stories high?  The City, Playhouse Merchants Association, the public and other stakeholders ought to
>  have worked together to develop a balanced approach to sharing the "burdens" associated with maintaining the trees.  But none of them should have supported their slaughter in the absence of an >>  alternative consensus. As for Joel, I have >  not personally reviewed his testimony at the recent Council meetings, but from what I've heard from those who have, he vehemently and passionately lobbied for the destruction of the trees.  At some point, he apparently had a change of heart. He told me that, as of February 5, he was under the impression that the trees would be spared pending the negotiation of a compromise.  Indeed, even City Staff >  recommended sparing the ficus trees.  Joel told me just the other day that he was "certain" that the City would spare the remaining trees. Joel came across to me as sincere but also quite distressed. It is difficult to know what prompted his change of heart.  And it is
>  sad to realize that it came too late to stop the tree killings. Joel now has a bit of a perception problem. Those who saw Joel rail against the trees at the public meetings may understandably be >>  suspicious that, faced with public outrage, his >  position is now one of regret.  The City Council members who voted in a manner consistent with Joel's testimony at the meetings may understandably be suspicious of his sudden back-pedaling and apparent "blame the City" position.  Both sides may feel that his new-found regret is driven by his fear of losing business and losing face.  In any case, it does smack of the bizarre to read press reports >  citing Vromans "regret" that the trees are gone when, just a few weeks ago, Joel was pushing for their destruction. At the end of the day, actions do have consequences - even if they are regretted after the fact.  In Joel's case, his actions may well have directly
>  contributed to the destruction of the trees that so many held so dear - and that's unfortunately irreversible. If I were to speak to Joel in the near future, I would recommend that he write an op-ed piece >>  for the PSN to state his case and clear the air, >  and then go on a nice vacation without a cell phone or Blackberry.  As angry as I am about the trees, I recognize that Vromans does mean a lot to this city, and its failure would be a great loss to Pasadena.  But I am torn.  I don't think I can bring myself to shop there in the near future, and I know that I'm not alone. I suppose this too shall pass.  But the trees will not be back.  I > cannot drive down that block without wincing.  I pray that Canterbury Records survives. --- On Tue, 2/24/09, SSL <steve_lamb57 at sbcglobal.net> wrote: > From: SSL <steve_lamb57 at sbcglobal.net> > Subject: Re: [ACT] [chaneytrail] Council Report Re:
>  Trees on Colorado Blvd / Stumps Painted Green / Next Steps > To: chaneytrail at yahoogroups.com, act at fourpalms.org, danielkstuart at yahoo.com > Cc: "Adrian Garcia" <gaboon at sbcglobal.net> > Date: >>  Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 10:14 PM > And while you are at > it, lets be honest with the whole > history and the fact that Joel and Vromans championed those > trees in the first place over a quarter century ago now and > paid for the studies and so on that got them placed there. > Paint THE WHOLE PORTRAIT. > > while we are at it, could we stop calling him a liar and a > coward just because he >  happens to disagree with your > perspective AT THE MOMENT and probably agrees in the long > haul? Believe it or not he is a person you want to win over > NOT ATTEMPT TO CRUSH. > > Steve Lamb > Who served with Mr. Sheldon way way way back when getting > the
>  trees in the first place and will be buying a $100 book > at Vromans gleefully on Saturday, trees or no. > > > > --- On Tue, 2/24/09, Daniel Stuart > <danielkstuart at yahoo.com> wrote: > >>  From: Daniel Stuart <danielkstuart at yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: [ACT] >  [chaneytrail] Council Report Re: Trees > on Colorado Blvd / Stumps Painted Green / Next Steps > To: chaneytrail at yahoogroups.com, act at fourpalms.org > Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 9:07 PM > > I would love to see someone transcribe Joel Sheldon's > testimony at the > Council meetings and juxtapose it >  with Vromans' > "official" > statement and then send the contrasts to the local media. > If he is truly > playing both sides, that should be exposed. > > > --- On Tue, 2/24/09, Gaboon <gaboon at sbcglobal.net> > wrote: > > > From: Gaboon
>  <gaboon at sbcglobal.net> > > Subject: [chaneytrail] Council Report Re: Trees on > Colorado Blvd / Stumps > Painted Green / Next Steps > > To: chaneytrail at yahoogroups.com, act at fourpalms.org > > Date: Tuesday, >>  February 24, 2009, 7:28 PM > > * Available for cross-posting. Feel free >  to share... > > > > Dear Discouraged Tree Huggers, > > > > Following on Tim's e-mail, some of you may be > > interested in the message copied below that was sent > out to > > many "tree huggers." Some of us who have > defended > > the trees live > in Altadena or La Canada Flintridge; > however, > > others are Pasadena residents who may be interested in > Mr. > > Tyler's message re: his interest in the Pasadena > City > > Council. As the popular bumper sticker said, > "Regime > > change should begin
>  at home." > > > > Messages on the stumps along Colorado Blvd. that urged > > shoppers, residents and other passersby to call the > Mayor > > about saving the remaining old trees were removed by > the > > >>  City sometime yesterday... How? Covered by green > paint... I > > find that rather >  ironic. Is this how Pasadena intends > to > > "go Green?" Guess the Mayor received too > many > > calls telling him something he and the Council > didn't > > want to know:  that residents and visitors alike value > the > > >  shade, beauty and other benefits of old trees in > Pasadena. > > > > Many of the attendees at the City Council meeting last > > night were not there because of trees, but to address > the > > Mayor and Council about the recent shooting. A full > tree > > moratorium was not
>  even on the Council's Agenda. > Even > > so, when Emina D. of Pasadena's own Urban Forestry > > Advisory Committee passionately pleaded with the Mayor > and > > City Council to spare the remaining trees, she asked > the >>  > > audience to raise their hands if they wanted to save > the > > trees. Almost everyone >  in the audience raised their > hands, > > even those originally there only to discuss the > shooting. A > > relative of the dead person ended his presentation to > the > > Council with his own plea to > not cut the trees. This > struck > > Emina as extraordinary. > > > > It seems clear that the Mayor and Council are > embarrassed, > > but stubbornly unwilling to admit they misjudged > public > > opinion and caved to pressure from Joel Sheldon, owner > of > > Vroman's, and the
>  other powerful business > interests of > > the Pasadena Playhouse District, to implement an > outdated > > 1996 "streetscape" plan... that replaces > giant old > > trees with spindly gingko trees and invasive Mexican > fan > >>  > palms. > > > > In full "damage control mode," Mr. Sheldon > of > > Vroman's has been >  issuing statements that he > regrets the > > loss of the trees. He wanted to stop the tree removal > at the > > last moment. Mr. Sheldon says the City is >  responsible, > of > > course... it's not his fault. Word has it that the > > Council is not pleased by the buck passing and > "back > > stabbing" as Mr. Sheldon attempts to recant and > play > > both sides of the fence. I suppose I can sympathize > with the > > Pasadena Council. One only has to review Mr.
>  > Sheldon's > > behavior on the archived Council meeting videos to > know the > > truth... He has been vehemently against the trees, > putting > > great pressure on the Mayor and City Council to have > them > > cut down. > > > > As I've >>  said before, I will not be shopping at > > Vroman's again. Based on blog comments, many > others feel > >  > as I do. I hope everyone let's Mr. Sheldon know > why. > > He's made his tree stump and now has to sit on it. > >  As > > one blogger on the L.A. Times website put it: > > > > "I have been searching online to validate Star > > News' statement that 'Vroman's management > put > > out a statement saying they were "very sad" > about > > the city's decision to remove the trees.' Now > I see > > that the LA Times reported this as well. If
>  this is > true, > > then Joel Sheldon, owner of Vromans has proved himself > to be > > a liar. I am shocked. He is quite confident and > belligerent > > at public meetings, but apparently pretty meek when > faced > > with losing business. Shame on Vromans for >>  playing > both > > sides of this issue." > > > > Another blogger aptly asked, "How do we revoke > >  > Pasadena's membership in Tree City USA?" > > > > What next? > > >  > > Emina of the Urban Forest Advisory Committee and > others are > > very concerned that the loss of trees on Colorado > Blvd. will > > be used as a "precedent" to justify remove > the > > remaining avenue of giant trees that shade Green > Street just > > S. of Colorado and to get rid of the giant Indian > Laurel Fig > > trees remaining in front
>  of the former Talbot's > store on > > S. Lake. Pasadena's Tree Protection Ordinance has > become > > full of loopholes big enough to drive a lumberjack on > a > > bulldozer through. How and when did those loopholes > get > > approved? > > > > Emina and others >>  have requested that those of us who > care > > about the trees (who can overcome "meeting > > >  fatigue!") please attend the City Council meeting > one > > > more time next Monday, when the tree moratorium will > > actually be on the formal agenda. Again, you might > think? > > Afraid so... A common method for avoiding public > opinion and > > controversial issues is to delay and switch meetings > and/or > > control agenda so that the public is at a > disadvantage... > > Then, when few citizens show up at the last meeting, >
>  the > > Council can "declare victory" and ignore > their > > responsibilities to represent concerned constituents. > > Difficult and tiring as it is, continuing to show up > in > > order to call the Mayor and Council to task can be > very > > effective in the end. > > > >>  > Councilperson Holden has come forward in favor of > saving > > the trees; however, he needs more >  public support. > Other > > >  Councilpersons who "almost" voted to protect > the > > trees also need support... for their backbones. Make > them > > wiffle waffle back to protecting ALL mature trees in > > Pasadena under the proposed moratorium. FIre up your > outrage > > at the hypocrisy and the repetitive meeting deja vu... > one > > more time. Please attend the City Council meeting next > > Monday: > > 2
>  March at 6:30pm > > 100 N. Garfield Avenue (2nd floor) > > Pasadena > > 626.744.4124 > > > > As always, we must work together to assure that common > > sense and good science prevail. It has taken 50 to 100 > years > > or more for the beautiful trees that shade us, that > > >>  sequester carbon, and host small birds... to grow. > Don't > > let Pasadena make those trees disappear into stumps >  > > late in > > the night, away from public view. In respect for all > the > > decades those trees have lived, in memory of the trees > that > > have already gone down with nests in their strong > branches, > > for the next generation of our children, I think it is > worth > > dedicating a few hours at Council meetings to save the > > survivors. Otherwise, the remaining trees won't be > > survivors
>  for much longer. > > > > Respectfully, with appreciation for your patience and > > persistence, > > Lori > > > > The tree in the background is gone. The gingko > > "tree" in the foreground is over 10 years > old. > >  > > > > The day after: > >  > > > >>  > - - - > > > > Begin forwarded message: > > > > From: >  Tarince Tyler >  <thunderwharf at yahoo.com> > > Date: February 24, 2009 4:32:28 PM PST > > To: Distribution > > Subject: The Trees on Colorado Blvd > > > > Greetings. Please allow me to introduce myself. > > > > My name is Tarince Tyler, and I am running for the > Pasadena > > City Council in District 5. > > > > I, like you, find it incredibly disturbing that the > city > > chose to side with the businesses in
>  the case of the > trees > > on Colorado Blvd. > > > > I believe that the city should have had several > meeting > > with both the residents and the businesses, and should > have > > allowed each side to come to some sort of compromise. > > > > Unfortunately, so many of our state, county and local >>  > > governments find ways to cut corners and >  in some cases > rush > > through agendas >  that shun those of us who have elected > them > > into office. > > > > I have lived in Pasadena for seven years, and I am > running > > for the City Council because I too have been ignored > by my > > own Councilman, Mr. Victor Gordo. > > > > A few years back when my district was suffering from > > widespread community appearance issues, I had e-mailed > Mr. > > Gordo to ask that he begin
>  cracking down on the > graffiti, > > litter, rundown homes, late night loitering and > abandoned > > shopping carts. I never received a response from him > and > > therefore I began working with his Field Rep., who > > graciously helped in cleaning up the area via various > city > > departments. The sad thing about >>  all of  this is >  that > I only > > received a call from Mr. Gordo once he found out I was > >  > running against him. He at that point wanted to meet > for > > coffee and to discuss the content of my previous > e-mails. > > Typical politics! > > > > The issue of the trees has really brought to my > attention > > how we as the people who have elected our leaders are > often > > ignored by them. > > > > I want to change, the "turn our back on you" > type > > of
>  politics, and I want to dispose of as many gimmicks > and > > games in city government as I can. > > As daunting as that sounds, I think it can be done > > eventually. > > > > We need to create a better Pasadena, where both > business, > > residents, and various organizations are respected > equally. > >  > > > If >>  you want to find out more about my campaign please > > visit: > > > > >  http://www.acampaignforchange > > > > I have included a link to a map of District 5 as well: > > > http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/district5/pdf/district5.pdf > > > > Thank you. > > > > -Tarince Tyler > > Candidate for City Council - Dist. 5 > > > > - - - > _______________________________________________ > ACT mailing list > ACT at fourpalms.org >
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