Pasadena Beautiful Foundation

By CYNTHIA YANG, Weekendr Staff Writer

PUBLISHED ON MAY 24, 2022

The Oscars have glitz and prestige, as do TV’s Emmy Awards and a handful of others. But for a loyal and dedicated group of Pasadenans, all of the awards presented in the world—from the Espy to the Clio—pale next to the Golden Arrow Awards, presented by the Pasadena Beautiful Foundation.

This year’s awards will be presented, after a two-year pandemic pause, on Wednesday at the Western Justice Center, 55 South Grand Avenue, in Pasadena, at 4:30 p.m.

It is traditionally the Foundation’s signature annual event. Twenty-seven awards are given to single-family homeowners to celebrate their efforts in creating front yard gardens that help beautify their streets and neighborhood.

As Pasadena Beautiful Foundation President Brad Hanson told Pasadena Now recently, the foundation itself was founded in 1960. 

“The organization was started as a way to improve the city and to try to beautify the city,” he said.

“In the early days, they were trying to think of different ways that they could go about doing it,” Hanson continued. “And in the 1960s, the city of Pasadena had neighborhoods that were in decline, and Old Pasadena was not in great shape. And so it was around the idea of really trying to improve the city that the organization was started.” 

Having done a lot of sifting through archives recently, Hanson is still not exactly sure when the Golden Arrow awards were started.

It just kind of happened,” he laughed, “sometime after 1960.”

But the reasons for such an award remain just as viable, said Hanson. 

“The founders had this idea that if we awarded houses and gardens that stood out in the neighborhood, it would be a way to encourage other neighbors to  try to do the same thing. And it becomes kind of contagious.” 

“Now you see Golden Arrows all around the city,” said Hanson, “and we’re constantly being asked, ‘What do you have to do to win a golden arrow?’  And ‘How come that guy got it and I didn’t?’ Those kinds of things. 

“It was just a way to encourage people to continue improving their gardens and making sure that the house and garden go well together,” added Hanson.

The selection process begins in March of each year.

The city map is divided into nine areas.  In March, the first round, PBF volunteers drive down each street to view and select six outstanding gardens from each of the nine areas.  A second team then reviews these eight semi-finalists to choose the final three.  The winners are then invited to attend a reception and an award ceremony held in May. 

Yes, you can nominate your own home for a Golden Arrow award, he said. 

As Hanson explained, “Absolutely. We get both people who think highly of their own yard and so they nominate themselves, which is fine.” But,  lest one think that being nominated by a neighbor might help things along, that is not the case,

“Nominating by itself doesn’t necessarily give you a leg up,” said Hanson. “Just because you’re nominated by a homeowner or a neighbor, you’re still subject to the critical eye of the team that’s making the decision.” 

The Pasadena Beautiful Foundation Golden Arrow Awards, Wednesday,  May 25, at the Western Justice Center, 55 South Grand Avenue, in Pasadena, at 4:30 p.m. For more, click here.

On April 30, 2022 the City of Pasadena in partnership with Pasadena Beautiful Foundation hosted an Arbor Day event where they planted 25 trees near Robinson Park Recreation Center in Pasadena.

On April 30, 2022 the City of Pasadena in partnership with Pasadena Beautiful Foundation hosted an Arbor Day event where they planted 25 trees near Robinson Park Recreation Center in Pasadena. This video was produced by Bobbie Ferguson, the Director of Production for Pasadena Media.

Published on Friday, April 29, 2022 | 6:17 am

Pasadena Beautiful Foundation is celebrating Arbor Day on Saturday, April 30, with a community tree-planting event at Robinson Park, in cooperation with the Department of Public Works and Council District 3.

Starting at 8 a.m. in the south parking lot, staff from the Department of Public Works will provide a tree planting demonstration, and then take teams of volunteers to plant trees in the surrounding area.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the first time in three years that Pasadena Beautiful is able to celebrate Arbor Day as a community gathering, said Brad Hanson, President of Pasadena Beautiful Foundation.

“It’ll be nice to get back to work and to be able to plant some great trees in the city,” Hanson said. “We move around the city for Arbor day. We don’t stick to just one area. We obviously want to do plantings all around the city in various neighborhoods or parks, and it’s hard to tell how many people will attend, but we usually get a pretty good turnout.”

The organizers will make tree care information available, and giveaways and light refreshments will be provided. Free mulch will also be available for pickup.

“We will be planting some jacarandas, some live oaks, some silver-dollar gum trees and a strawberry tree, and more than one of those,” Hanson continued. “So it’s a diversified group of trees but selected by our tree expert, Emina Darakjy, who understands which trees do best in certain areas. So hopefully they’ll last for generations to come.”

Pasadena Beautiful was founded in 1960, and one of its primary goals from then on was to plant street trees to enhance the beauty of Pasadena. Currently, in accordance with the City’s Master Street Tree guidelines, the Foundation’s tree expert hand-selects each tree for a specific site, and trained professionals supervise the planting and maintenance of trees to ensure a healthy tree canopy for the City.

Pasadena is known as one of the ‘tree cities’ in America, and Pasadena Beautiful attributes much of that to the community coming together on Arbor Day yearly, planting trees as well as advocating that trees are important for fighting climate change and for lowering the temperature.

“If you look at Pasadena from space, I think you can see the wonderful canopy that we have,” Hanson said. “This is a result of just planting trees over the decades. And now we’re reaping the benefits because just in the city, we’ve got a wonderful urban canopy of trees.”

On Saturday, participants are advised to dress appropriately – with closed-toe shoes, jeans, and sun protection. The event could last up to 12 noon.

For more information, visit www.cityofpasadena.net/event/arbor-day-2022. To RSVP for the tree-planting event, email [email protected].

Robinson Park is located at 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave.

Victory Park in northeast Pasadena is showcasing beautiful springtime colors this month, thanks to the recent replanting of 25 cherry trees. In late 2021, Pasadena Community Foundation awarded a capital grant to Pasadena Beautiful Foundation to fund the project, which focused on replacing “Pink Cloud” cherry trees, many of which were lost in the last decade to Bacterial Blight, with the hardier “Akebono” variety. Pasadena Beautiful planted the new trees earlier this month.

Pasadena Beautiful past president Emika Darakjy, who currently serves as the president of the California Urban Forests Council, selected the trees for Victory Park. She notes that “the Akebono variety is prevalent in Washington, D.C and Japan. They start with tight pink buds, open to white, and fade to a soft pink. The blossoms tend to hang on the tree longer.”

Besides brightening the park’s paths and expanding Pasadena’s urban canopy, the new cherry trees continue to commemorate our city’s cultural connection to Japan. Beginning in the early 2000s, the Cherry Blossom Festival SoCal donated 500 cherry trees to Pasadena to celebrate the history of Japanese Americans in the Pasadena area. The festival allowed the community at large to come together annually to understand this history. Victory Park hosted the festival in 2003 and 2004 and received a gift of 75 cherry trees. About 50 of those trees continue to thrive in Victory Park. In 2012, additional trees were planted to commemorate the centennial of Washington D.C.’s cherry trees, which were a gift from the Japanese people and the Mayor of Tokyo in 1912. Combined, the new and mature trees create colorful walkways throughout the busy park in northeast Pasadena.

Pasadena Beautiful Foundation has included the gardens at the Western Justice Center to its list for Wednesday Weeders. 

This March several scoops of mulch were delivered for the front rose sections and adjacent gardens.  Mulch is a good addition to keep the weeds at bay and to retain moisture during our long hot summers.  

Check out PBF volunteers who were on hand to spread the mulch.

Pasadena Beautiful Foundation (PBF) has been awarded a 2021 Pasadena Community Foundation (PCF) Capital Grant for $16,250. We want to thank the PCF for this generous grant that will assist us in achieving our mission to restore, renew and protect Pasadena’s parks, urban forests, and public spaces. 

We are excited that this grant will support the re-planting of 25 cherry trees in Victory Park, in the Northeast area of the city. Many of the original Pink Cloud Cherry trees that were planted in the park in the early 2000 have been damaged. The new trees will be planted sometime early next year in time for spring blooms. Below are some photos when they are in full bloom. Stay tuned for more information on event regarding the re-planting. 

On October 21st, Pasadena Beautiful Foundation awarded the Commercial Design Awards to 9 recipients from the city. The event was held at the Maxwell House, part of the Western Justice Center, at 55 South Grand Avenue.

Each recipient’s representative provided a background history of their design, thought process and effort that showcased their talent to create a beautiful environment for their building and public enjoyment.

Click here to see the main Commercial Design Award Page

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Greywater is water from showers, bath tubs, washing machines, and bathroom sinks. Using greywater is an innovative way to reduce potable water use and flows to the sewer system. It provides for an efficient means to irrigate plants in your landscape, and provides natural groundwater recharge.

There are three types of greywater systems – Laundry-to-Landscape (L2L), Simple, and Complex greywater systems.

Laundry to Landscape

PWP offers an L2L Greywater Program due to their simplicity, affordability, and easy maintenance. L2L systems are the only type of greywater system that does not need a permit to be installed.

Watch this video to view testimonials from PWP customers who have successfully installed an L2L system in their home:

Simple Greywater Systems

Simple greywater systems exceed a Laundry-to-Landscape greywater system and have a discharge capacity of 250 gallons per day or less. Simple greywater systems collect water from bathtubs, showers, and bathroom washbasins for irrigation purposes. Simple greywater systems do not include wastewater from toilets, kitchen sinks or dishwashers. Simple greywater systems require a permit, design and inspection by the City of Pasadena Planning and Community Development Department, because construction and installation of simple greywater systems require cutting of the existing plumbing piping. PWP designed a streamlined permit process and a rebate for permit fees to ease the participation in Simple Greywater Program.

Getting Started with a Simple Greywater System

Step 1: Complete the Greywater Standard Plan application package 

• Download the Greywater Standard Plan application package
• Complete the application package and submit all the pages of the application package to [email protected] for initial review prior to obtaining a permit. PWP will review the application package for completeness, and you will be notified if the application needs any additional information.

Step 2: Obtain Permit

• After PWP reviews the application for completeness, you are ready to submit the application to the Planning and Community Development Department to obtain a permit before installing the greywater system. The Permit Center is located at 175 N. Garfield Ave in Pasadena, Monday-Thursday 8am to 5pm, and Friday 8am to 12pm. You can submit your application package in person at the permit counter. For more information visit the Permit Center site or call 626.744.6646.

Step 3: Install the System and Schedule a Post Inspection

• Once you have received your permit you are ready to install the system. Contact the Building and Safety Department at (626)744-4655 to schedule a post inspection. The inspectors will verify that the system conforms to building codes.

Step 4: Request the Rebate for the Permit Fees

• Submit the copy of the building final inspection sign-off to [email protected]
• You will receive a rebate of up to $200 for your permit fees

Source: City of Pasadena Website

Come Join Us!

Pasadena Beautiful is delighted that fall is finally here.  We are looking forward to cooler crisp days and excited to resume our Wednesday Weeders activities.  

Our first fall meeting is on Wednesday, October 6^th, from 8:30 to 9:30 am. at Singer Park at the corner of St. John and California Boulevard near the Huntington Hospital.  Please come join us and other volunteers to help prune, clip, trim, pick-up trash and to spruce up the park.  Just show up with your hat, water bottle and clippers for one hour a week.  It is a great way to start your day, meet our Board members and at the same time make an impact on keeping Pasadena beautiful.  

Please mark your calendar for our Commercial Design Awards which will be held on Thursday, October 21^st from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. at the historic Maxwell House, Western Justice Center on 55 South Grand Avenue in Pasadena. 12 awards will be presented to commercial organizations that have incorporated outstanding landscape designs in their projects.  Those which have included creative uses of drought tolerant plants and irrigation systems.  Please check our website for more information closer to date.

We are looking forward to seeing you!

Brad Hanson, President

Published on Thursday, May 20, 2021 | 10:38 am, PasadenaNow.com

Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo has issued proclamations formally recognizing both National Public Safety Week and Arbor Day in Pasadena this month, officials announced Thursday.

National Public Works Week, May 16 through May 22, celebrates the men and women who operate and maintain essential systems, such as sewers and storm drains, streets and sidewalks, traffic signals, public buildings, parks, and trash collection and recycling, city officials said in a written statement.

These vital roles “could not be provided without the dedicated efforts of our public works team members,” the statement said.

Arbor Day falls on May 27 this year.

In addition to the proclamation, the city will plant 11 trees around City Hall and the Civic Center, as well as a large specimen oak tree at Defenders Park, in partnership with the Pasadena Beautiful Foundation. Due to the pandemic, no public events are planned around the planting.

“The City of Pasadena is committed to trees as a defining feature of the city,” the statement said.

Pasadena has been named a Tree City USA designee by the National Arbor Day Foundation for 31 straight years, and has also received a “Growth Award” for its promotion of urban forestry, officials added.

Please see Christian’s video tour of Pasadena City Hall:

OPINION BY BRAD HANSON, PASADENA BEAUTIFUL FOUNDATION PRESIDENT
Published on Thursday, April 1, 2021, Published on PasadenaNow.com

Since its construction 109 years ago, Pasadena’s iconic Colorado Street Bridge has tragically attracted suicide attempts. This prompted The Department of Public Works to add a 10-foot barrier in 2016, while the City considered more permanent options to deterrence. Now the City has placed mockups of three proposed barriers on the bridge for public comment.

Each of those options is a vertical barrier that impairs views of the bridge and degrades the experience of walking it.

The Board of Directors of Pasadena Beautiful strongly urges the City to consider a horizontal barrier, such as the one designed for San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge by the same engineering firm that Pasadena has engaged for the Colorado Street Bridge project. A horizontal net barrier suffers none of the drawbacks of the vertical designs; it wouldn’t detract from views or intrude on the walking experience. San Francisco supplements the net with paid and volunteer bridge patrols and has phones on the bridge, wired to a suicide prevention hotline. There is no reason that Pasadena couldn’t implement a similar program.

We believe the City dismissed the option of a horizontal barrier without adequately analyzing it, instead offering fact-free assertions that would-be suicides would have to be physically removed from it, while thrill-seekers would repeatedly be seeking to jump from it. The Colorado Street Bridge surely merits, and the community of Pasadena deserves, that the City consider a horizontal barrier that would deter suicides while respecting the aesthetics of our treasured bridge.

Please visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/public-works/engineering-and-construction/construction/colorado-street-bridge/

Fill out the survey and give your input at the end of the site.

https://www.goldengatebridgenet.org

Also hear Brad Hanson talk about the bridge on KPCC’s AirTalk with Larry Mantle.

From The LA Times, May 10, 2019