Story by Sofia Alva Staff Writer Photo by Katelyn Hernandez Staff Photographer South Pasadena Finance Director Karen Aceves announced her resignation effective immediately on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The reasoning for Aceves’ resignation is still unclear, though it comes after City Manager Stephanie DeWolfe left the City a few weeks earlier. In 2017, the City hired Aceves, who […]
Man drives truck onto sidewalk near BLM protestors
Story by Lilian ZhuStaff Writer Photo courtesy of Black Lives Matter South Pasadena Contributor A white middle-aged man drove onto the sidewalk at the corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and Mission Street where Black Lives Matter (BLM) protestors were demonstrating shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3. SPPD arrived at the scene and talked to the […]
Residents question SPPD’s ties to anti-LGBTQ+ hate group
Story by Sofia Alva Staff Writer Photo by Tony Chen Contributor Community members are calling for an investigation into the SPPD for its planned public prayer event with an anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ+ hate group that was set to be held at City Hall on Saturday, Sept. 26. Police Chief Joe Ortiz sent an email (attached below) […]
School Board opposes wellness day in spite of widespread community support
Story by Eddie Zhou Staff Writer Photo by SPUSD Contributor The South Pasadena School Board declined to implement a wellness day despite strong support from teachers, parents, and students at a special Board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Board members voted to submit the current Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan (LCAP) to the Los Angeles […]
Protect South Pasadena’s small businesses
Large corporations have been rapidly infiltrating South Pasadena, harming the city’s community.
Students and teachers rally together in support of wellness day
Story by Sam Grotenstein Staff Writer Photo by Ella Jayasekera Photo Editor Teachers, parents, and students voiced their support for a wellness day to be incorporated into the distance learning schedule at a School Board meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The purpose of the meeting was for School Board members to discuss, but not vote on, whether […]
SPUSD lays off librarians over budget cuts
Story by Quinn Manzo Staff Writer Photo courtesy of Selena Baydaline Contributor SPUSD cut the elementary school library programs and laid off the librarians in July after the coronavirus pandemic caused significant state budget cuts. Before their termination, the librarians expected that they would continue connecting with students and parents as they did during fourth quarter […]
DeWolfe retires as City Manager, Fire Chief Riddle assumes interim position
Story by Eddie ZhouStaff Writer Photo by Katelyn HernandezStaff Photographer City Manager Stephanie DeWolfe retired from South Pasadena effective Saturday, Sept. 12. Fire Chief Paul Riddle has assumed the position of acting City Manager until the City Council appoints a permanent one. DeWolfe has been at the center of intense scrutiny over the management of the […]
Care First group calls for defunding SPPD
Story by Sofia Alva Staff Writer Photo by Ella Jayasekera Photography Editor Graphic by Charlotte Cohen Staff Graphic Designer The global movement for police accountability has inspired local protests and initiatives to defund the police, including resident-led group Care First South Pasadena. Partnered with activist organization South Pasadena Youth for Police Reform (SPY4PR), the group has worked […]
SPUSD partners with Care Solace to support community mental health
Story by Eddie Zhou Staff Writer Photo courtesy of Care Solace Contributor SPUSD announced its partnership with Care Solace, a live, 24/7 online service that connects individuals with mental healthcare resources and providers, on Wednesday, Sept. 2. Care Solace services come with no cost for students and their families and do not require any personal information. […]
Rossi sworn in as interim city council member for district two
Story and Photo by Zoe Schlaak Staff Writer The city council swore in Stephen Rossi to fill the district’s two seat vacancy at its meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 2. Rossi will serve until Dec. 2, 2020 when the elected representative assumes office. Council members considered both Lawrence Abelson and Rossi for the position but Diana […]
Second Angelversary for Vanessa Marquez demands justice and police accountability
Story by Lilian Zhu Staff Writer Photo by Ella Jayasekera Photography Editor South Pasadena community members rallied together on Mission Street on Sunday, Aug. 30 for actress Vanessa Marquez’s second Angelversary, recognizing her killing by SPPD officers in 2018. Attendees dressed up in Star Wars costumes to commemorate Marquez’s love for the film franchise, and families […]
Local and countywide coronavirus caseloads slow, restrictions remain
Story by Kahlen Miao Staff Writer Illustration by Alicia Zhang Staff Illustrator The City of South Pasadena reached 242 coronavirus cases and 26 deaths on Monday, Aug. 24, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health. This is an increase of 12 confirmed cases and one death within the past two weeks. The South Pasadena […]
City council to appoint somone to fill Khubesrian’s vacancy
Story by Zoe Schlaak Staff Writer Photo by Katelyn Hernandez Staff Photographer The city council voted 3-1 to open an application process to fill Marina Khubesrian’s vacancy in the second council district until the election at a special meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 19. The application period for the position is open from Friday, Aug. 21 to Aug. […]
Not In My Backyard! – Racism in South Pasadena
Story by Amber Chen & Sam Grotenstein Opinion Editor & Staff Writer Illustration by Tarry Song Staff Illustrator Local media and community forums have recently received vehement backlash over their critiques of the SPPD. Hints of prejudice, if not the employment of outright racist fearmongering, characterize these adverse reactions — all of which operate under the false pretense […]
Khubesrian to resign, admits to sending harassing emails
Story by Georgia Parsons Staff Writer Photo by Sophie YeungStaff Photographer Council member Marina Khubesrian released a statement on Saturday, Aug. 15 announcing her resignation from the city council after she admitted to sending harassing emails from fake accounts to a colleague. Khubesrian’s resignation will take full effect on Tuesday, Aug. 18. In her statement, Khubesrian expressed […]