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Pasadena Press pasadenapress.com
MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 - FEBRUARY 1, 2015
A Mayoral Legacy for Pasadena Bogaard Focuses on the Positive Despite Embezzlement Scandal By NICK KIPLEY “The Pasadena Playhouse is truly a gem. I can’t imagine a Pasadena without it,” opened Vice Mayor Jacque Robinson at last Thursday night’s “State of the City Speech” event. This speech concluded the record sixteen years of Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard’s authority. Following a glowing review of the outstanding history of the Pasadena Playhouse, a performance by the youth theatre company “Theatre 360,” and a brief video exploring the “Hidden gems of Pasadena,” Mayor Bogaard took to the stage for his State of the City Address. He started off by joking that his wife Claire was the “One person to [his] knowledge who has attended [the annual state of the city speech] all sixteen times.” After thanking the Council, Mayor Bogaard addressed the current investigation into the Underground Utility Funds scandal, but didn’t mention anything new: “The city manager has announced the engagement of an independent investigator to facilitate the completion of a wide-ranging personnel review.”
VOLUME 2, NO. 4
Gold Line Maintenance & Operations Yard Nears Completion in Monrovia By SUSAN MOTANDER
she can get things done, fight for working families and advocate strongly for our Democratic values. Her leadership in gang reduction and youth programming through the 20/20 initiative
For months workers have been swarming over the construction site along Evergreen Avenue between California and Shamrock. Huge buildings have risen and nearly six miles of rail track have been laid on the 26 acres site. Slowly the Gold Line’s $265 million Construction and Maintenance Yard is coming to life. The site will provide storage space for as many as 84 light rail vehicles when they are not in use. In addition, the facility will also contain the cleaning and repair facilities for the cars. There is even a gigantic “car wash;” it is like Fashing’s on steroids with the ability to wash an entire train at once. Mark Mickelson, the segment manager coordinating the construction of the site, dubbed the largest building “The Mall of Shops,” noting that it housed separate bays for the different types of work being done to keep the vehicles in good running order. There is even a $3 million lathe used to true the wheels on the vehicles (oval wheels lead to a bumpy ride). In this building the cars can be run in on tracks at ground level, but the tracks are on trestle-like bridges over some of the work areas so the maintenance
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Terry Tornek
In addition to this measure, Bogaard stated that, “The city attorney will maintain a close working relationship with the District Attorney and strongly support the criminal prosecutions to the fullest extent of the law. Further, she has been directed to use civil litigation aggressively to recover the losses and damages suffered by this city.”
– Photos by Terry Miller
Bogaard then turned to Pasadena’s bright future while glancing nostalgically at the past -- Pasadena real estate is up 5.4% at $24 billion while unemployment is down to 6% and thus, below the 7.2% average for California. Bogaard explained that to Please see page 4
L.A. County Democratic Party Endorses Jacque Robinson for Pasadena Mayor At the Los Angeles County Democratic Party (LACDP) January Meeting, LACDP Members voted to endorse Jacque Robinson for Mayor of the city of Pasadena. LACDP Chair and California Democratic Party Vice Chair
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Eric C. Bauman said of the endorsement: “Jacque Robinson has accomplished much throughout her career as an advocate for working men and women, city council member, and Vice Mayor of Pasadena. She has shown