April 11, 2009
Meeting Summary
East Eaton Wash Neighborhood Association
Preparation
E-mail reminder was sent.
Acknowledgments
Susan
C. sent brownies.
Attendees
5 members
Meeting
Agenda Items:
The meeting began about 11:25
- Alameda St
power conduit project
- All the disruption, mess, and damage on Alameda Street and
adjacent avenues and lanes during the past month apparently has to do
with the contract approved by the City Council on November 24 for
"construction of underground electrical conduit equipment along
Alameda Street, Sierra Bonita Avenue, and Altadena Drive."
- The
background given was: "Pasadena Water and Power Department
(Department) has begun a capital improvement project to replace the 4
kV distribution system with a17 kV system to improve electrical service
reliability. ... The proposed contract will allow the Department
to construct the underground substructure necessary to connect the
existing underground electrical system to the
existing overhead electrical system in specified locations within 90
days after a Notice to Proceed is issued."
- The only statement at the Council meeting seemed to indicate
there is a 4 kV conduit already underground which will be upgraded to
17 kV. No other information was provided.
- No improvement or undergrounding of power service to Alameda
Street itself should be expected.
- Water
rate and usage regulation changes
- PWP is expecting a 10 to 15% reduction in its MWD allocation
this year. Any water supplied in excess of the allocation is
expected to cost 3 to 5 times as much.
- The Urban Environmental Accords goals that the city signed up
to a couple years ago require a 10% per capita reduction in usage by
2015. Not clear what base year is, but report says it is 198 gallons
per day.
- PWP staff is expecting state wide legislation requiring 20%
reduction by 2020.
- As less water is used, less is paid for water, but
infrastructure costs are not reduced, so water rates must go even
higher.
- At Monday 4/13 City Council meeting, the Council is being asked
to approve a new water conservation plan, replace the current water
shortage procedure ordinance, and set a public hearing for June 8 to
approve a new water rate structure and water rate increases.
- These are items 5D1 and 5D2 on the Council Agenda:
www.cityofpasadena.net/councilagendas/2009
agendas/Apr_13_09/agenda.asp
- Here is a summary of the proposals:
- modify the water block rate structure
- adding two new rate blocks
- Block 1 will be "essential use", at least 8 billing units
(5984 gallons) per month, considered to be enough for indoor use by a
family of four. For our size meters this is a 1/3 reduction from
the current level of 12 billing units. The total allocation to
block 1 is to be reduced to 35% of total water usage so as to reflect
the proportion of total local water used vs imported water. The
pricing for block 1 is then supposed to be based on the cost of our
local water.
- Block
2 will cover an additional 45% of total usage,
Block 3 another 10% of usage, block 4 another 5% of usage, and block 5
the highest 5%.
- For
our residences, the blocks work out to:
Block
|
Billing Units / Month
|
Price / Billing Unit
(summer, inside city)
|
1
|
0 - 8
|
$0.91
|
2
|
9 - 24
|
$2.50
|
3
|
25 - 34
|
$3.00
|
4
|
35 - 46
|
$5.00
|
5
|
> 46
|
$7.51
|
- Block
2 will be priced to reflect the costs of imported water, at this
time 275% of the block 1 rate. The block 3 rate will be 120% of
the block 2 rate. Block 4 will be 200%, and block 5 will be 300%
of the block 2 rate. These ratios would be subject to
adjustment based on a five year rolling average of supply costs.
- Revenues
from sales in the 4th and 5th blocks are to be applied to conservation,
incentive programs, and development of new supplies.
- If a water shortage is declared, the normal allocation of
water to blocks 2 through 5 would be reduced based on the water
conservation goal. So a 20% water conservation goal would cause
the block ranges to be reduced by 20%. So block 2 would be
billing units 9 - 21, block 3 would become 22 - 29, block 4 would go to
30 - 37, block 5 would be 38 and above.
- If a water shortage is declared, the rate charged for each
block 2 through 5 would also go up according to a formula. The
higher the conservation goal, the higher the rise in rates. For
the 20% conservation goal example, the rates would increase by 25%.
- raise
water rates
- PWP says current water rates are not high enough to meet
revenue needs.
- Proposal would increase fixed monthly D&C and FPS
charges this July 1 to gain an overall water charges increase in
revenue of 10% starting this July 1, and an additional revenue increase
of 8.7% on July 1, 2010.
The presentation is somewhat misleading because on first read it sounds
as if they are only increasing the fixed rate D&C and FPS by
10%. But studying the chart, they are actually increasing them by
almost 51% this year and another 31% next year for an almost doubling
of the monthly basic fixed charge. For example, for the 3/4"
meter size most of us probably are, the monthly charge would increase
from $8.17 to $16.14. Since we are billed every two months,
double that is what will show up on the bill.
- Rate blocks 1 to 3 would be "realigned" to reflect
"actual cost" of providing water within each block. Block 1 is
supposed to reflect the cost of local water, which is now only about
35% of total water usage. Reducing its size should reduce the
amount of water covered by it to about 35% of the total. Block 2
will cover an additional 45% of usage, Block 3 another 10% of usage,
block 4 another 5% of usage, and block 5 the highest 5%.
- the current Purchased Water Adjustment Charge would be
combined
into the base rate so the PWAC basis would be 0. Then it
would be
increased (or presumably decreased) based on changes in water purchase
costs to pass through those costs on an ongoing basis.
- Reduce the rate differential between service inside and
outside
the city. Currently outsiders are charged 35% more; they would be
charged 25% more.
- Reduce the seasonal rate differential from 6% to 3% to
better reflect the actual difference in costs.
- For our small meter sizes (which are 89% of the customers
in the city), the effect of the changes for an average customer is said
to be a 36% increase in the total bill. The percentage
impact is much less for larger users, even though they use 45% of the
water.
- However, the PWP provided charts and statements don't
seem to correlate with one another. Either there are errors or
they are using different combinations of customer categories and
averaging in a confusing manner.
Doing the math for using 12 billing units per month in summer in the
city (probably a minimal amount for those watering yards), the increase
(not including taxes and assuming no water shortage is declared) will
be about 49% for 2010 vs 2008. Going from $27.00 to $36.67 to
$40.49. For the actual two month bill, double those numbers, add
taxes, then add 10% or so for water shortage rates. And that is
only the water portion of the bill!
- Although
unstated in Monday's agenda item, the city is also looking to rake off
more money from the utility revenue for use by the general fund.
A
full 10% of a larger amount. (They've taken less then 10% in
recent years.) It will be interesting to see whether a
judge's recent decision against the city of L.A. for a similar practice
of taking from their DWP will impact Pasadena. The decision
seemed to
be not that the practice itself is illegal but rather a problem with
disclosure on the bills.
- development of a "budget based" water rate system
- staff expects to propose this by December 2009 to be in
effect by July 2010
- PWP will categorize customers by usage characteristics such
as single family or multi-family residential, and various commercial
and industrial classifications. Based on the characteristics they
would assign a water budget. This would presumably be used for
deciding the rates to be paid instead of the fixed blocks based
on meter sizes.
- establish a permanent water waste prohibition ordinance
- no watering between 9 am and 6 pm except by hand-held
container or hand-held hose with a shut-off nozzle, or for a short time
during irrigation system repair
- no watering during rain
- no "excessive water flow" or runoff
- no washing down hard or paved surfaces except for safety
and sanitary hazards, and then only with bucket, hand-held hose with
shutoff nozzle, or special machines
- fix leaks, breaks, malfunctions within seven days
- fountains and decorative water features must have
recirculating systems
- vehicle washing only with bucket or hand held hose with
shutoff nozzle, or by commercial facility
- drinking water in restaurants only by request
- restaurants must use water conserving dish wash spray valves
- hotels/motels must provide guests option to decline daily
linen service
- buildings requesting new water service cannot use single
pass cooling systems
- commercial car wash systems must have recirculating systems
by July 1, 2010
- Fines start with written warning for 1st offense, then $100
for second offense, increase by additional $100 for each subsequent
offense, maxing out at $500. Fines for commercial are double
those for residential.
- modify the existing water shortage ordinance
- many of the items in existing ordinance become permanent
- new ordinance has no water rationing allocations.
Instead it has four levels of shortage, each with more drastic
prohibitions on the number of allowed days of watering per week, the
time allowed for fixing leaks, breaks, or malfunctions, filling
ornamental lakes/ponds, washing vehicles, filling pools, new water
service.
- exempted
- police and fire use
- use of recycled water, gray water, or caught rain water
- maintenance of trees and shrubs or vegetable garden via
bucket or hose with hand-held nozzle with shut off device is
- maintenance of existing landscape for fire protection and
soil erosion control
- maintenance of rare plant materials or those essential to
protected species
- Maintenance of landscape within active public parks and
playing fields, school
grounds, golf course green and day care centers, provided that such
irrigation does not exceed two days per week;
- Actively irrigated environmental mitigation projects.
- commercial growers
- additionally, staff is working on
- adopting a water efficient landscape ordinance
- By state law, Pasadena must adopt the State Model Water
Efficient Landscape Ordinance by December 2009. It applies to all
landscape construction or modification greater then 2500 sq ft.
It has to do with the planning and permitting process.
- evaluating a potential requirement to replace fixtures on
resale
- currently doing a study during regular occupancy
inspections to estimate how many pre-1992 fixtures remain.
Expect to recommend a replacement on resale requirement by July
- reviewing gray water system and storm water capture ordinances
- expect to have recommendations by October, but also waiting
for a state process that is developing new standards which aren't
expected until next year.
- adopting water use limitations and mitigation measures for
new development
- providing incentive rebates for indoor fixtures, irrigation
technologies, water efficient landscape and turf replacement
- The major area for water savings is now outdoors.
- providing direct installation and distribution of efficient
technologies
- providing water use audits
- expanding them for commercial. Will look into
expanding residential audits beyond high bill complaints, and also
include outdoor usage.
- providing better water use information and education
including better usage data on bills, water use standards or
guidelines, efficient usage practice suggestions. New advertising
campaign.
- Park -
new pedestrian walkway planning
- Latest heard now four weeks ago.
- "buffer fence" between the proposed pathway and the backyard
walls eliminated with the intention instead to landscape that
area. Possibly vines or rock garden or combination. Should
cause less of a tunnel effect for the walkway.
- Waiting for Dept. of
Transportation to come to terms with pedestrians having to access the
gate without a sidewalk.
- Updated
drawing
- Ice Rink project status
- Nothing new publicly except noticed that the recommended
Capital
Improvement Program city staff
will start presenting to the City Council on Monday April 13 does not
show any
allocation of funds to the Ice Rink project for fiscal 2010 or 2011.
- Chick's
sporting goods to become Dick's
- Chick's sporting goods store located in Hastings Village
(east side of Sierra Madre Villa) has been running a clearance sale
with lots of local advertising. This sale is expected to last
into early May.
- The Chick's chain was bought out by another sporting goods
chain called Dick's.
- This store is supposed to eventually be reopened as a Dick's.
- Directory of
tradespersons
- After last month's discussion, Sharon has put together a draft
recommendation form that would be distributed to all the households in
the neighborhood and put on the web site.
- She has been waiting for feedback/possible improvements before
printing it.
- Passed it around at meeting - no comments made.
- large scale maps
- Found a couple of large scale maps. One is about 18"x22"
and is just the neighborhood streets. We used it at the meeting
and it was helpful to point out locations we were talking about.
The other is an old (1985) 36" x
40" zoning map of the entire
city. Did not take it to meeting due to cumbersome size.
- One
of these months someone will bring a laptop to the meeting and hook it
to the overhead projector and we'll be able to display all kinds of
information large scale to everyone present.
- scam warnings
- Lower Your Property Tax
- The County Assessor is warning about letters being sent out
to
home owners by private companies to pay them to lower their property
tax bills. Because property values have dropped, properties
purchased
in recent years may now have a value less then is on the tax roll.
Reducing the assessment would result in a lower property tax bill.
- Property owners do not need to pay anyone to request the
assessor to review their property assessment.
- The assessor is automatically currently reevaluating
assessments on all properties purchased in 2003 or later.
Property
owners whose assessment is reviewed will receive a letter in June
providing the results.
- Property owners can always request the assessor to review
their property assessment for free by filling out a single page form
called a "decline-in-value application" available on the assessor's web
site: www.assessor.lacounty.gov.
Or call 888 807-2111 for assistance.
- Some of the letters are made up to appear to be official
letters from the assessor's office. Some of these letters are
from
companies which will take your money and just fill out the assessor's
form that you could fill out for free. Some of them may be scams
to
get information from you for other purposes.
- Automated phone calls
- Even those of us on the do not call list are getting lots of
these calls, even though they would be illegal even if the business was
legit.
- One of them is something about a 2nd notice on an expiring
car warranty.
- One of them is something about a last chance to lower your
rate on a credit card
- There are probably a number of other similar pitches.
- Notice that they do not identify you by name, they do not
identify the card company or the car much less any details that would
indicate they are your card company or the holder of your car
warranty. Even those of us without card balances or car
warranties are
getting these calls. They are just trying to get you worried or
excited and hook you into giving them information they should not
get. They can make thousands and thousands of these calls
and even a
very few people giving them info will pay off for them.
- If you get a call from someone claiming to be from your bank,
card company, warranty holder, or anyone else you were not expecting a
call from, and you think they might actually be legit, take their name
and call back on the official number on your statement
(not a number they give you).
- Miscellaneous phone calls
- There are a lot of construction or other service businesses
who
seem to have bought homeowner lists from the County and are just
calling everyone without regard to the do not call registry. Some
of
them don't care; others mistakenly think the county has already
screened the lists. If you don't want them calling again, tell
them to
take you off their list. Legit businesses will not want to waste
their
resources calling you if you tell them not to.
- Charities and political organizations are not subject to the
do
not call list. But legit ones will stop calling if you ask them
to.
There are increasing numbers of scam artists posing as charities or
causes. Do not give your personal or financial information to
people
calling you on the phone.
- 2nd
unit ordinance re-examination
- There
are going to be four meetings around the city to discuss the current
regulations for the development of second units aka "granny flats" in
Single-Family Residential
zones in the City. The debate is whether the regulation should be
revised to allow the possibility of more second units, and if so, how.
- The
nearest meeting to us is April 23, 6:30 pm at Victory Park
- Current
regulations (zoning code section 17.50.275)
only allow second units on lots 15,000 sq ft or larger that are not in
a hillside or landmark district. (No lot in our neighborhood is
that
big.) There are so many restrictions, including such things as
having its own
two covered parking spaces, that only one permit has been requested and
approved in the city in the 5 years since the ordinance was enacted.
- Proposed
"handbill" ordinance
- The
new handbill ordinance comes to the City Council for approval on Monday
April 13 as agenda item 8A2. There were no public commenters when
it
was proposed to the Council on March 2, but since then there was as
least one protester - someone who was part of the lawsuit against the
city that invalidated the previous ordinance.
- In
summary, the new ordinance would:
- Prohibit
the distribution of handbills on residential property unless the
handbills are properly secured so that they will not be blown about
- Prohibit
the distribution of handbills on residential property if there is
placed in a conspicuous location near the entrance a legible sign of at
least 16 square inches bearing the words "No Handbills" or a similar
notice, subject to certain exceptions;.
- Permit the handing of any handbill to a person who is
willing to accept the handbill; and
- Establish a rebuttable presumption that the person whose
message is on the unlawfully-distributed handbill has violated the
ordinance.
- anything
else attendees wish to discuss
- child safety
- Recently a high school boy in our neighborhood who takes a
public bus to school
was followed home from the bus stop by an adult man. The boy
noticed the man following him and told an adult when he reached
home. An adult then kept track of the man while police were
called. Police talked to the man, who was described as
delusional.
- This is a reminder to talk to your children about being alert
to what's going on around them and to report
suspicious behavior. Talk to them about their route(s) to and
from school and other places, including issues such as public
visibility, places to run for help, walking on the side of the street
toward traffic so they can't be snuck up on by cars. You should
think about how you increase your own safety too.
- neighbor watch
- We discussed how important it is to get to know who are
neighbors are, who belongs, what's normal activity and what is out of
place, so we can watch out for each other. Of particular concern
are elderly living alone and children. Question was raised as to
whether there is any list of elderly living alone. No such list
exists.
- recycling
& bulky item pickup info
- The city has updated its web site information on recycling
and bulky item pickups. (Actually they've put the yearly trash
info brochure online so you can find all that info even when you've
misplaced it). It was noted that each household is now allowed
two free bulky item pickups per year and that when you call for an
appointment they will ask you for a list of items you are disposing
of. (In practice, they will take miscellaneous small items that
were not specifically listed - they are mainly concerned about making
sure the items are eligible for pickup and making sure they have
appropriate pickup capacity.) The yearly trash brochure includes
a list of the types of items allowed for bulky item pickup and those
that are not.
- We also got into discussing the vagaries of when city code
inspectors do and don't cite people for various violations. Often
there doesn't seem to be any obvious reason why they pick one over
another. It may be someone complained, or something they happen
to notice while in the area, or an overzealous new inspector (sometimes
even exceeding the bounds of what is allowed).
- e-waste
recycling, including ink cartridges
- Discussed how there are now not only the county collections
at the Rose Bowl in June and the race track in August. The city
now has collections every quarter at the Rose Bowl, and many schools
and churches have also been having collection events to use to raise
money. Some of these will even come and pickup items for
you. (With the recent decline in value for recyclables, the
number of these private collections may drop off in the near term.)
- Some office stores are periodically running promotions where
they will give you a substantial discount for a new printer or computer
when you bring them an old one for recycling. (Read the fine
print though - usually the new item has to be over a certain price and
sometimes it can't be an item already on sale.)
- Ink cartridges can also be recycled at some stores that sell
them - particularly those that also sell their own brand of
cartridge. Some will even give you an incentive such as a rebate
on next purchase, though they all seem to have reduced the value of
those incentives in recent months.
Next meeting is May 9, 2009.
Adjourned about 12:55