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Talking Points for Affordable Housing at the Civic Center
On October 5, at 2 pm, the Pasadena City Council will be considering whether to use vacant, city-owned land next to City Hall for affordable housing or sell it to the highest bidder. See agenda: http://ww2.cityofpasadena.net/councilagendas/2020%20Agendas/Oct_05_20/agenda%20COVID.asp
The City Council solicited proposals for affordable housing on this site, and three excellent proposals were submitted. See https://www.pasadenanow.com/main/developers-lay-out-plans-for-historic-ywca-building/
Last year the City Council agreed to prioritize affordable housing on this site and subjected this site to the state Surplus Land law, but now they must formally declare this site surplus land so they can consider proposals for affordable housing that were submitted in response to the City's request for proposals (RFP). If they don't declare it surplus land, then it must be sold to the highest bidder.
Below some 200-word talking points for you to consider. Please choose one that speaks to you and feel free to express it in your own words. Please follow one of the following procedures to submit commits.
Members of the public may submit comments of any length up to two hours prior to the start of the meeting, at the following email address:
correspondence@cityofpasadena.net. These comments will become part of the public record and will be read by City Council members, but not read aloud during the public meeting.
During the meeting, members of the public may submit up to 200 words regarding items on the agenda, at the following webpage:
www.cityofpasadena.net/city-clerk/public-comment. You can choose to have your comments read aloud.
Start each of your talking points by stating your name, district, and something about yourself. How long you have lived here, religious affiliation, occupation, etc.
#1: I am writing in support of the Planning Department staff recommendation that the Ramona property be declared surplus land, exempt from CEQUA, so it can be used for affordable housing. As you know, the Surplus Land Act requires local agencies—such as cities and transit agencies—to prioritize affordable housing on such land. As the Planning Department Staff noted, using this site for affordable housing is consistent with the General Plan. The City Council already issued an RFP prioritizing affordable housing on this site, for which there is an urgent need. Developers have presented excellent proposals for affordable and supportive housing. I urge you to take the steps necessary so that these proposals can be considered and approved, and construction of much needed affordable housing can begin.
#2: I urge you to declare the Ramona site to be surplus land so you finalize approving this site for much needed affordable housing. During this election cycle both candidates for mayor and all the other candidates for office affirmed that they support affordable housing. You have an opportunity to show that you meant what you said. As a Christian, I feel we have an obligation to house the poor, just as the early Christians did in Acts 4. Jesus tells us that communities will be judged on how they treat the marginalized. "As you did for the least of these, you did it for me" (Matt 25:40). Let's set a shining example for other cities by housing our low-income residents in our City's heart, the Civic Center.
#3: I am writing to urge you to approve declaring the Ramona site surplus land so that you can consider the excellent proposals that have been submitted by outstanding affordable housing developers. I am very impressed with the three proposals presented during the recent Planning Department's public meeting. Abode, Bridge and National Core all have proven track records in our city. Because of the City's RFP, they have expended considerable time and effort to come up with worthy proposals. Because of the urgent need, I'd like to see affordable family housing along with a component of supportive housing on this site. I also like the idea of a public courtyard that will attract visitors, as does the courtyard of the City Hall. These elements will help to vitalize and activate the Civic Center. The center of our city near City Hall has been idle and empty far too long. Let's help our city to have a brighter future by completing our Civic Center with a project we can all be proud of.
#4: I am writing to encourage you to approve declaring the Ramona site surplus land because it makes good economic sense to build affordable housing on this site. The City's RFP states that the project should "serve as a catalyst for continued economic growth and provide economic benefits" (p. 5).As you know, affordable housing is an economic stimulus since it is required to have 20 percent local hires, 20 percent local contractors and 20 percent local materials. This will bring millions of dollars to the Pasadena economy at a time when such an influx of funds is urgently needed. Financial considerations are not only or main reason to use this site for affordable housing, however. The need for such housing, especially for families, is critical. Homeless people who currently sleep on and around this vacant property desperately need housing. As a person of faith, I believe we have a moral imperative as well as financial incentive to use this site for affordable and supportive housing. The prophet Zechariah tell us that the LORD Almighty calls us to "administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another" 7:9 (NIV)
#5: I'm writing to urge you to approve declaring the Ramona site surplus land and using it for affordable housing because we need to do all we can to address the housing crisis in our city. I know that the City Council feels that the RHNA numbers are unrealistically high, but there is no disputing the fact that the need for affordable housing in our city is huge and growing. Over 23,000 people are on the waiting list for Section 8 housing in this City. The last Housing Element indicates that 36% of Pasadenans are low or very low income. 79% of the 16, 730 lower income renters pay more than 30% of their income on rent. Many families are forced to double up, which can create problems for their children. Having 90-100 affordable unit to the Civic Center won't solve this enormous problem, but it's a step in the right direction.
#6 : I' m writing to urge you to approve declaring the Ramona site surplus land and using it for affordable because it's a matter of justice. We need to use public land for public good. We need to provide affordable housing to low-income worker who are risking their lives during this pandemic to provide essential services. They are waiters, grocery store workers, and nurses. They serve our city well but most can't afford to live here. As a person of faith, I take to heart what it says in Proverbs 31: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
#7: I am writing you to take prompt action in approving affordable housing in the Civic Center because the need is great and growing because of the pandemic and the economic downturn. It is important to take deliberate action, but taking ten years to approve a YMCA project has caused unanticipated problems. We need to move forward expeditiously during this crisis. A Columbia study estimates that the homeless population could increase by 45% in the next year. Evictions are expected to increase. By approving affordable housing in our Civic Center, we are showing that we are at heart a compassionate city.
#8 I want to thank the City Council for prioritizing affordable housing on the Ramona site. You acted wisely and in the best interests of our City. Now it is time to take the next step and approve declaring the Romona site surplus land so it can actually be used for affordable housing. As a person of faith, I believe that housing those who are low income and homeless not only benefits our city, it is also a blessing. We know from experience that affordable housing transforms lives. People like Dorothy Edwards, Shawn Morrissey, and Cynthia Kirby all lived for many years on the streets of our city. Thanks to supportive housing, they have now become useful and important members of our community. They are now "paying forward" the blessing that they received by helping others. The words of Psalm 41 seem relevant to our challenging times: "Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the LORD delivers them in times of trouble."
MHCH Advocacy 101: How to help end homelessness and transform our city
If you'd like a PDF version of our "Advocacy 101" Monthly Housing Justice Educational Forum, click here: Advocacy 101 Sept 22
MHCH's efforts have helped create over a thousand units of affordable housing and over 135 units of permanent supportive housing for those who are unhoused. Join us as we learn from experienced advocates how a faith-rooted approach can help end homelessness and transform our city through decent and affordable housing. Come and learn skills needed to engage our elected officials to make housing and homelessness a priority during this time of economic downturn and pandemic.
Presenters at our "Advocacy 101" Forum:
Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra is the author with Dr. Peter Heltzel of Faith-Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World (Intervarsity Press) and the founder of the Faith-Rooted Organizing UnNet- work. She is a Lutheran Pastor with over 40 years of experience in community ministry, including church- based service and community development programs, congregational and community organizing, and leg- islative advocacy. She has been a national leader in the areas of working poverty and immigration for over 20 years. Alexia received her doctoral degree in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Seminary and currently serves as Assistant Professor of Integral Mission and Global Transformation at Fuller.
Dr. Anthony Manousos is a Quaker peace activist, retired college professor, and co-founder of MHCH along with his wife Jill Shook (whose book Making Housing Happen: Faith-Based Affordable Housing Mod- els he helped to edit). He currently chairs MHCH's Affordable/Supportive Housing Advocates (ASHA) and successfully led a campaign to convince the Pasadena City Council to approve 69 units of permanent sup- portive housing for seniors at Heritage Square South. Anthony serves on the board of a national Quaker lobby called Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL.org) and organizes lobby visits both locally and in DC. He has authored/edited seven books and his many articles have appeared in Quaker and professional journals. He blogs about peace, justice and spirituality at laquaker.blogspot.com
MHCH Affordable Housing and Environmentalism Forum
You're invited to our MHCH Monthly Housing Justice Educational Forum. Learn about the environmental dangers posed by the ill—conceived Spacebank housing development in East Pasadena, and how and why affordable housing is often the most environmentally friendly housing ever built.
When: Tuesday, Aug 25, 2020 7:00 PM Pacific Time
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpfuutqDgoGdehT5uwIWpPx9oaax1fvg3F
For more info, contact Jill@makinghousinghappen.com.
For more info contact Jill@makinghousinghappen.com
Kristin Shrader-Frechette is O'Neill Family Professor, Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Philosophy, at the University of Notre Dame. She has previously held senior professorships at the University of California and the University of Florida. She has been personally affected by environmental pollution: her mother died of an environmentally-induced cancer at the age of 43, leaving seven children motherless in Kentucky. Not only does she know her science–with degrees in mathematics and philosophy as well as post-doctoral work in biology, hydroecology, and economics–she is also well versed in Catholic social teaching. Here in Pasadena she has taken up the cause of making sure that any housing built at the Spacebank, a site contaminated with toxic waste from military testing, is safe for children and families.
Tim Kohut, AIA, is Director of Sustainable Design with National Community Renaissance, a regional Developer/Builder of affordable housing. Tim works with design teams, construction teams and subcontractors implementing strategies aimed at high performance and energy efficiency and to ensure that all projects are built to meet the strictest accessibility requirements. He is a Certified Accessibility Specialist (CASp), a Certified Energy Analyst (CEA), Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Rater, and Building Performance Institute (BPI)Energy Analyst. Tim has spent more than 20 years designing, building, and consulting on affordable housing projects throughout Southern California.
The Secret History of Housing, Racism and Cities
This article on " The Secret History of Housing, Racism and Cities" was published by Anthony Manousos in the summer issue of a Quaker publication called "The Western Friend," which he edited from 1998-2008.
He has partnered with Western Friend to host a webinar called "Loving Your Neighborhood" on Thursday, August 6, at 7 pm. Here's his description of this webinar to which all are invited: "Together we'll learn what Quakers have done, and what we can do now, to address the homelessness and affordable housing crisis during this time of pandemic. This is not the time to hide what we know under a bushel. Let's proclaim the good news from the rooftops: we know what it takes to end homelessness and poverty. Let's work together to make ending homelessness and poverty a reality!"
Aug 6, 2020 7:00 PM Pacific Time
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqceChrDsuE9ealBspC7ihrOY1Gq1ovthz
"Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!" Luke 12:13 (New Living Translation)
Eight years ago, when I married Jill Shook, a housing justice advocate, she would take me on walks or drives around Pasadena, pointing out buildings and homes. Each one had a story, often a fascinating story. I realized that she was tuned in to her city and her neighborhood in ways I had never experienced, or even imagined. I also realized that cities have a secret life—one that needs to be shouted from the housetops.
As I helped her to revise and edit her book, Making Housing and Community Happen: Faith-Based Affordable Housing Models, I came to see that I had been utterly oblivious to the "secret life" of cities—how housing policies had determined where and how homes were built and businesses situated. Cities didn't just happen, they were created and shaped by policy makers with certain values. These values are often colored by racism, xenophobia, and classism.
As I became more involved in housing justice work, I also came to appreciate what Jesus meant when he said, "Love your neighbor." He also meant, "Love your neighborhood." Another secret or little known fact: Jesus loved cities as much as he loved individuals, and he came to save cities as well as individuals from moral and physical destruction. Remember how Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem, a city that was both sacred and profoundly screwed up—suffering under Roman oppression, and a corrupt religious establishment. Weeping over the city just as he wept over his friend Lazarus, who died and was brought back to life, Jesus called out to Jerusalem:
"Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:21). He loved this conflict-ridden city despite its faults: " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God's messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn't let me" (Matthew 23:37).
Such a tender metaphor, and so poignant, given the fact that he knew the people of this city would kill him, just as it had killed other prophets.
Gradually I learned the secret of how to love my city, with all its beauty and flaws. After I'd been married for a year, a pastor friend of Jill's surprised me with this observation, "Anthony, you realize when you married Jill, you married the city of Pasadena." Strange as it seems, a light bulb went off when he said this. She is committed to Pasadena just as she is committed to our marriage. She loves this city and she wants to see it thrive. I now feel the same way. I love Pasadena in a way that I have never loved a city before. In the past I liked cities for what they offered me, but now that I feel as if I am married to Pasadena, I want what's best for my beloved city just as I want what's best for my wife. Like Jill, I take part in public events, go to city council meetings, and get to know all my neighbors, from the Mayor and community leaders to the homeless people who gather around City Hall.
Jill and I live in a city that prides itself on its historical character, but often hides from its dark past of racism. Our neighborhood was the only place where African Americans could live because covenants prevented home owners from selling to non-Anglo-Saxon protestants. A little known secret: many of these covenants prevented homeowners from selling their homes not only to blacks, but also to Jews or Catholics!
Blacks could live only in a certain part of Pasadena, the Northwest. This was true of most cities prior to the Fair Housing Act of 1968. This landmark Act was passed just one week after Dr. King's assassination (fair housing being one of the last campaigns he worked on).
Orange Grove Meeting is located in Northwest Pasadena, in the heart of an impoverished Latino neighborhood. Most Orange Grove Friends commute to meeting from other parts of the city and know little about this neighborhood. Many years ago, Jill canvassed the Meeting's neighborhood to start a tutoring program, and she knows many residents well. To help our meeting know the neighborhood better, Jill has taken us on tours to learn about the neighborhood's history and assets. Northwest Pasadena is full of great people and restaurants and small businesses with delicious Latin American food and products. But it also contains dire poverty. The median income of a family of four in this census tract is $25,000 – and the cost of rent for an apartment here averages $2,000 per month and up. In other words, families either have to pay all their income on rent or "double up" with other families. This kind of overcrowding can be a major driver of many social ills, like poor academic performance and gangs.
Despite having been divested and impoverished by racist policies, Northwest Pasadena has thrived and become gentrified, with homes selling for $700,000 and up. But it also has one of the poorest areas of our city.
Orange Grove Meeting is located in Northwest Pasadena smack dab in the heart of the Latino neighborhood, but most Friends commute to meeting and know little about their neighbors. Many years ago Jill canvassed this mostly Spanish-speaking neighborhood to start a tutoring program and knows the residents well. To help our Meeting get to know the neighborhood better, she has taken Orange Grove members and teachers at Friends Western School on tours to learn more about its history. Our 'hood has some wonderful assets—great people and restaurants and small businesses with delicious Latin American food and products. But it also has dire poverty, as we also found out from census tracts. The median income for a family of four around our Meetinghouse is $25,000—and rents for an apartment average $2,000 and up. In other words, families have to pay all the income on rent or double up with another family. This kind of overcrowding is a major driver of poverty and poor academic performance, and gangs.
Part of loving a city means learning its dark secrets and what we can do to help move it towards a brighter future through policy changes. Two years ago we started a nonprofit called Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH) that advocates for affordable and homeless housing. As a result of our efforts, our city has approved 135 units of homeless housing in the last couple of years. Thanks in part to advocacy work, we have reduced our homeless population in Pasadena by over 50% since 2011 and we are working on a city-wide plan to reduce our chronically homeless population to "functional zero" in five years.
To end poverty we need to look at its root causes, which are often hidden from sight. Jill taught a graduate course on housing justice at the Azusa Pacific graduate program in social work. To help students understand how housing policy affects people's lives, we created an "Unjust Housing" game, based on Monopoly. (Another secret: the idea for the game we know as Monopoly was stolen by Parker Brothers from a progressive feminist named Elizabeth Magie who created the Landlord's Game as a protest against monopolists in 1903.)
The goal of our Unjust Housing Game is to show the deeply racist nature of housing policy. Players are given either a white or a black bean. Those with a white bean receive 20 pennies (worth $100 each) and those with a black bean 2 pennies (thereby representing the actual wealth inequality between whites and blacks). Players roll a dice and receive a penny for the number of the throw. That's fair enough. But then they must choose from a stack of either white or black cards, depending on the color of their bean. The cards represent actual housing policies. Here are some examples:
WHITE CARD: Congratulations! Your father received a GI Bill, a loan program initiated in 1944. He bought a nice home in the suburbs. This helped your family to do well. (Around 98% of recipients of this loan were white.) Collect $300.
BLACK CARD: After a seven year wait, you receive a Section 8 Housing Voucher enabling you to pay only a third of your income on rent, but unfortunately (like around 50% of recipients of voucher) you can't find a landlord willing to accept this voucher within the require time limit and you lose your voucher and go back on the waiting list. Forfeit $200.
In 2017, the LA county waiting list for the voucher program was estimated to have an 11-year wait time, and there were about 40,000 Angelenos on the waiting list, which was closed to new names since 2009. The situation has worsened since then. In Pasadena, there are approximately 22,000 people on the waiting list, with 1400 vouchers circulating, 1350 in use, and only 50 available.
WHITE CARD: You live in a town with very few poor people or people of color. Your property values rise! Receive $500.
In the 1990s new suburban towns across the US incorporated to prevent low-income Section 8 voucher holders to "encroach." These new cities prevented multifamily zoning and ensured large lots sizes. They were typically over 90% white with very low poverty rates. Many LA and Orange County cities were formed for these same reasons.
BLACK CARD: A freeway runs through your neighborhood, your community is destroyed and you lose your home through eminent domain. You aren't given enough compensation to buy a new home and you become a renter. Forfeit $400.
This is exactly what happened in Pasadena when the 210 Freeway cut through and destroyed a thriving African American business district. Homeowners were not given enough compensation to purchase homes in the city so many were forced to move.
As you play this game, you realize that the real estate game is rigged against people of color. (No surprise if you happen to be a person of color!) Housing injustice is a major reason for the income disparity between whites and blacks. The game helps you to experience what it feels like to be discriminated against, or privileged.
We also teach people how to organize for housing justice using faith-based methods similar to those of FCNL. The secret of good organizing is that we are not just trying to pass good policies and win victories, we are also striving to empower those who are marginalized and build long-term relationships with those in power.
Our goal is systemic change. Feeding programs and shelters are fine stop gaps, but as a homeless woman told me, "I like it when people make me sandwiches, but I'd rather make my own sandwich in my own apartment."
What ends chronic homelessness is permanent supportive housing (PSH). Those experiencing homelessness are sent not to a temporary shelter, but to permanent housing where they feel secure and can receive the services they need to thrive. Over 90% of those housed in PSH stay housed after three or more years. Marv's place is a stellar example of PSH in Pasadena. Nineteen formerly homeless families live in this beautiful Mediterranean style apartment complex and all now have jobs and/or are attending college.
We work with and not just for our homeless neighbors, including those whose lives have been transformed by PSH. Those who have experienced homelessness are often the best advocates.
The need for housing and housing justice will no doubt intensify during this Covid 19 crisis. Many will face eviction and homelessness will dramatically increase unless we enact policies to prevent this from happening.
We Quakers have played an important role in addressing housing injustice in the past (among other things, we started Self-Help Enterprises, which became the inspiration for Habitat.) Today Orange Grove Meeting has become a center for housing justice in our city, and I'd like to see other Quaker meetings play a similar role. That's why I have partnered with Western Friend to host a webinar called "Loving Your Neighborhood" on Thursday, August 6, at 7 pm. Together we'll learn what Friends have done, and what we can do now, to address the homelessness and affordable housing crisis during this time of pandemic. This is not the time to hide what we know under a bushel. Let's proclaim the good news from the rooftops: we know what it takes to end homelessness and poverty. Let's work together to make ending homelessness and poverty a reality!
Anthony is a member of Orange Grove Meeting and former editor of Western Friend. The author and editor of numerous books and pamphlets (including Relics of America: the Fall of the American Empire, Transformative Quakers, Howard and Anna Brinton: Reinventors of Quakerism in the 20th Century, Interfaith Peacemaking, Western Quaker Reader, etc.) he serves on the Board of FCNL and Interfaith Communities Uniting for Justice and Peace. He is co-founder of Making Housing and Community Happen. If you'd like to become involved in peace or housing justice activism, contact Anthony at interfaithquaker@aol.com. For more info, see makinghousinghappen.org and laquaker.blogspot.com. We are promoting affordable housing on many different fronts: inclusionary zoning, Safe Parking, Accessory Dwelling Units, converting motels to homeless housing, as well as building affordable housing on church land.
Racism and Housing: Councilman Kennedy and Beverly Bogar, by Dr. Jill Shook
Over 120 people signed up, and 80 people attended our Forum on Racism and Housing on June 23, 2020. This was one of the largest turnouts we've ever had for our Housing Justice Forums, which was very gratifying. We explored both national policy with his local implications, including some of Pasadena"s own past racist sins in relationship to housing justice. We opened with a devotion from Isaiah 61 by Pastor Camille Russel-Wooden, followed by Beverly Bogar sharing her story about growing up as a Black in Pasadena (scroll below). Beverly has lived in Pasadena for 68 years and worked as assistant to the Chief of Police for Pasadena 35 years.
Following her moving story, I shared a PowerPoint Presentation on Racism and Housing in Pasadena. It was so well received I have been asked to do this presentation for Union Station's board and for a city-sponsored event.
Our City Councilman John Kennedy shared about racism from his own experience growing up in Pasadena. He spoke from his heart with great passion about the need to combat racism and create more affordable housing. You will find the video of both his and my talk here, facilitated by one of our volunteers, Sonja Berndt: Video presentation on Racism and Housing
Pasadena Councilman John Kennedy.
My Housing Story, By Beverly Bogar
The first house I remember living in, when I was maybe 5 years old, was a 4-room 1-bedroom house on a dirt alley called Mary Street, behind a Bekin storage building. That's where my dad, my mom, my sister and I lived. My dad worked odd jobs and was always saving money to buy a house.
He was able to buy a house in Northwest Pasadena. During this time, some white homeowners did not want to integrate, rent, sell or live next to people of color. It was known as white-flight where they moved further and further north towards Altadena. My dad got a job at Carl Hanson Ford in Sierra Madre, where a co-worker helped him to rent a 2-bedroom house at 855 Euclid, between Mountain and Buckeye. It was the most culturally diverse street I have ever lived on.
As a young child, I never saw color. I just knew grown people were to be respected and you played with kids. I became aware of race when I was 8 years old and was playing 4-square on the playground at Madison School when a little white boy called me the "N" word. Not knowing what this word meant, I said: "You're another one!" The playground teacher grabbed him by the arm, fussed at him and set him down on the pergola. She then came over to me, wrapped her arm around my shoulder and asked me if I was ok. She wrote a note and pinned it on my sweater and said to give it to my mother. When I got home my mom read the note and started to cry. She hugged me and tried to explain there are different groups of people and some of them do not like people who are not like them. She tried to explain the various nationalities on our block, which only confused me, made me fearful and had me shy away from playmates.
I also became aware of being treated differently because of my color when my mom took me and my sisters to Nash's on Colorado. We watched people enter through the glass revolving doors, but she took us in through the back door. She could not touch items she could only point at the item she wanted to purchase.
Just before 6th grade, the Euclid property was sold and we had to move again. By that time, my dad had saved enough money to put a small down payment on a 2-story house on Maple Way. Not knowing the purchase process and trusting others, we lost this house after three years.
My father told me to aim to buy a house as oppose to renting, to save money and live in Pasadena.
We then rented and lived on Vernon Street (which no longer exists) and Pasadena Avenue (north of Walnut). It was an area where many people of color lived, shopped and patronized local black services – doctors, dentists, stores etc. Then came the notification of the 710 freeway.
I'm not sure why, but my mom and dad separated and my mom and the four of us moved into a number of apartments, until we moved into a duplex on north Garfield above Washington Blvd., where I lived until graduating high school.
Fast forward, in 1974 I was blessed to purchase my current home on Sunset Avenue in Northwest Pasadena, through a "235 program" whereby I paid a $235 monthly mortgage and the balance was paid by the program. After a period of time, the payment was gradually increased until I was paying the entire monthly payment.
Ironically, upon graduating college, I worked ror 14 years in mortgage banking, including Countrywide Funding, and was able to learn the good, the bad and the ugly of the industry (e.g. "ARM loans" ).
I always remember my father's advice when times were difficult. When Parson's came to Pasadena, they wanted to purchase homes in our neighborhood for their staff. Many neighbors sold their homes and moved to San Bernardino, Riverside etc. No matter how much they want to move back, they cannot afford to.
Pasadena has been and is (to some degree) a generational city where generations of families have lived and raised their children. The impact of inequality in housing not only displaces and or relocates people of color, but tends to break down and separate families, weaken our diverse and historical culture. As our elders age, it becomes more and more difficult to care for and assist them when you cannot afford to live in the city I do not want to believe that my city wants people of color to move out of their Pasadena home. I want decent and affordable housing for everyone, especially our homeless neighbors. Thank you for your time.
Pasadena's Racialized History
A brief history of Pasadena's racialized housing and mixed-income solutions
by Jill Shook, Executive Director of Making Housing and Community Happen
Pasadena's wide streets with larger homes often parallel more narrow streets with smaller dwellings. Stately homes often have a small maid's quarters within or a granny flat tucked in behind. Charming bungalow courts, first introduced in Pasadena in the turn of the 19th Century, can be seen throughout the city, and now across the US. Pasadena's street layouts and lot configurations demonstrate a yesteryear of a mixed income community.
The 1949 US Housing Act allowed for slum clearance but did not follow the 1937 Housing Act's mandate for a one-for-one replacement of housing cleared. Across our country areas, especially Black neighborhoods were declared "slums" and bull dozers began their work. The vulnerable had little recourse. This was also true in Pasadena. On Fair Oaks Ave. where Parson's now sits just below the 2010 Freeway, was once a thriving African American community. To accommodate these changes, Scott United Methodist Church was to Orange Grove Blvd. where it stands today. The Urban Renewal (sometimes all Nigro Removal) and Redevelopment (RD) programs have left long shadows of both the positive and negative consequences. The results of these national programs are still very evident in Pasadena and across the US. RD funding is what re-built a decaying Old Pasadena, but knowing that such development can cause displacement, this policy wisely required that 20% of all RD funds were to be allocated for building affordable housing. Pasadena's state lobbyist somehow convinced Sacramento to pass a law that only applied to Pasadena so that the Old Pasadena RD Zone could use that 20% instead for Police and Fire pensions. This law was to sunset in 2014, but by that time, RD statewide had ended and hundreds of millions was forever lost to create affordable housing. Pensions were paid on the backs of the poor.
The '49 Act provided funding for new construction, but not for multi-family or rehabbing older units. It also did nothing to prevent redlining. So, the red pin drawn around NW Pasadena found families unable to obtain bank loans to improve their ailing housing stock. This Act also did nothing to prevent segregated neighborhoods. Racially restrictive covenants were allowed. On some of Pasadena's older home deeds "This home will never be bought or sold to Blacks' can still be seen crossed out. FHA loans would not provide mortgage insurance to Blacks; therefore, banks would not provide them loans. A Black trash collector who did very well by feeding edible trash to the pigs in his farm in Monrovia, started Family Thrift, so loans could be offered to Blacks. This later became One United, on the SW corner of Lake and Washington, which has since consolidated with their LA bank on Crenshaw in LA.
The 1956 Federal Highway Act gave federally funded access to people of means to leave urban cores and build new homes in the suburbs—if the family was white, had transport and the required 10% down for the FHA loan. Therefore, white suburbs like La Canada sprung up across the US. The 210 Freeway was commissioned in the 1950s and was completed in stages up through the 1970s. This freeway sliced though the middle of a vibrant African American business district on N. Lincoln that has never fully recovered. Jaylene Mosley with the Flintridge Center has placed a significant role in investing in the divested corner of the Pasadena. The strong fabric of NW Pasadena, which was once a mixed income community was rapidly tearing apart. These people of color displaced from the Freeway construction, were offered $75,000 for their homes, but at that time, no homes were under $85,000, causing further displacement.
Bus loads of Caucasian children rode past Muir High (with all Black students) on their way to La Canada (which was then part of PUSD). Therefore, in the 1970s Pasadena was federally mandated to desegregate. This caused havoc to the whole city and school district. Before long, a city known for many excellent private schools began to see even more spring up. Without a mixed-income student population and involved educated parents, what were once some of the best public schools in the nations, began to decline. (See Conspiracy of the Good, by Michael James)
The National Fair Housing Act of 1968 while it again allowed for a racially mixed community, by making it possible for people of color, previously restricted from the nicer parts of town, to leave NW Pasadena. But this caused further divestment and an even deeper decline of the area-an unintended consequence of the Fair Housing Act. To this day it is not uncommon to see racial steering and little support for new families to attend public schools among area relators. Additionally, some landlords will still say that their apartments are filled when a person of color comes knocking. Few testers are deployed due to limited funding for the enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. Today there is an additional layer of hate and discrimination against those who are experience homelessness, with landlords and hotels unwilling to received vouchers.
By the 1970s, zoning laws (that began the 1920's) were excessively used as a tool to prevent mixed-income communities. Southern California cities were subject to local no-growth and slow-growth movements at the neighborhood level, pushing for down-zoning and large lots only zoned for single family homes. The voice of the poor who could only afford apartments were latterly zoned out of cities. The cry for higher density needed for multifamily housing was not heard. This sentiment remains today. This is especially true of new restrictions against allowing granny flats in Pasadena back yards. (See Mike Davis, City of Quartz—this tells of new lines being drawn to create new exclusive LA cities formed to keep lower income folks out). When the state was passing laws to allow for back houses, the Pasadena made them almost impossible, with two-car garages, 15,000 sf lots requirements, and other restrictions. Because of this, between 2001 and 2017 only one was built. The average property size in NW Pasadena is 6,000 sf. One more form of discrimination.
We complain about the 210 traffic, but most must drive a distance to for housing they can afford. But many people are no longer willing to drive any further to work. Sprawl has hit the wall. People are moving back into what were Pasadena's lower-income neighborhoods. Large older homes that once housed multiple families have been fast converting to prized homes impeccably restored that now house a couple or one family. Apartments that once housed Pasadena's gardeners and house keepers are subject to landlords that are eager to flip their asset, bringing in new tenants that can pay higher rents…but often with little improvements. Other apartments are converting to condos at prices that lower income workers cannot afford. While these trends beautify our city, it pushes low- and middle-income families out. Pasadena is losing affordable units much faster than they are gaining them. Some landlords who participate in HUD, Section 8 and other affordable housing programs are not renewing their commitments and covenants, opting to go market rate. For example, as low-income seniors move out of the 114 units at this Senior housing complex at 1070 N. Lake, they not renewing the contract to keep them affordable.
The fall of 2006 saw four Pasadena Unified School closed due mostly to the housing market. Typically, mostly lower income families populate public schools. In 2005-2006 alone the families of almost 1,000 low- and middle-income students exited the city. They could not afford the increased rents or to purchase a home in the area. Other institutions like Fuller Seminary wisely created a Master Plan that included student housing offered at below market rents, many of which the they built. This would help to prevent students from competing with long-time residents for housing. But strapped for cash, later Fuller broke this plan and sold 197 affordable units, housing approximately 400 people, to a luxury housing developer. This was the second biggest displacement of housing in the history of Pasadena. The largest displacement was when the 210 freeway was built.
These patterns are not uncommon to American Cities, accompanied with a growing number those experiencing homelessness. Many of Pasadena's 150,000 residents have been unable to afford living indoors. By 2011, 1, 216 were counted as homeless in Pasadena, over half of which were women and children. Over 800 children in the school district were considered homeless. This had never been seen in Pasadena, even after WWII when there was a huge lack of housing across our nation. During that same year, 2011, only 6% of Pasadena's middle-income population could afford to purchase a Pasadena home. Most homeowners today could not afford to purchase the home they own. Some aging Black and brown homeowners, fell prey to the 2008 mortgage meltdown, with Pasadena based banks like IndyMac, that later became One West under the leadership of Steve Mnuchin, later sold to CIT Group in 2015. Mnuchin joined Trump's presidential campaign in 2016, and today is Secretary of the Treasury. Mnuchin is often dubbed "Foreclosure King" having foreclosed on 16,220 federally insured reverse mortgages from April 2009 to April 2016, twice the national average. Bad loans, intended to fail, often targeted minority populations eager for a piece of the American Dream or homeowners and lowering come home owners with equity. There was so much shame among those targeted in the African American churches, pastors learned about the fate of members of their flock losing their homes too late in the game, when it was not longer possible to get a modified loan or other redemptive measures.
What can be done? There are many solutions. Rent Control is a very misunderstood policy that landlords and corrupt developers like Black stone have done their best to demonize and to keep unclear, making us think it will destroy our communities. In 2017 we received 10,244 signatures to get rent control on the ballot, shy of the 12,800 needed. But the mayor of Pasadena won with only 8,000 votes. So many are eager to try again in 2019.
Derelict motels primarily on East Colorado Blvd, now home to homeless, prostitution and drug users, can now be converted to permanent supportive housing (PSH), which is what ends homelessness. This would clean up these motels, provide permanent housing for homeless folks with onsite wrap-around case management. Right how no one is vetted, and no rules are required for motels guests. These motels were once in The Green Book—a book outlining the only place in Pasadena where African American could stay and eat. Between 2011-2016 we lowered the homeless count by 54 percent when we were approving PSH projects. We can do this again by approving motel conversions, building new projects and seek to preserve existing affordable housing from going market rate.
We need to figure out how to prevent landlords from opting out of affordable housing covenants and place these units into 99-year ground leases. One tool to do this is via a Community Land Trust (CLT) and it is what the City of Irvine is doing. All apartments that are being converted to condos should have a third of the units sold as affordable at prices that those living there can afford to prevent displacement-this is being done in several cities. We need to increase Pasadena's requirement that 15 percent of all new housing be affordable up to 25 or 30% like Santa Monica has done. The fee allowed to be paid in-lieu of including affordable units must be raised high enough that folks will opt to include the units. This will create a mix of housing units throughout the city and help to undo years of racialized housing policies. All of Pasadena's 533 inclusionary should be in place into a CLT, just as the City of Irvine is doing. We need to encourage all San Gabriel Valley cities to do the same, placing all their affordable units into a CLT in order to preserve long term affordability.
We must zone for mixed-income multi-family housing in all Pasadena neighborhoods. We must stop all down zoning efforts. As long as there is a need to have homeless counts, and 47% of Pasadenans spend more than 50% of their income on housing, all down-zoning should be disallowed. Down-zoning prevents the density needed to build affordable housing.
If affordable units are destroyed to make way for increased density of units, an equal number of affordable units must be replaced. One-for-one replacement of affordable units must also apply to non-city invested units.
The school district could develop affordable workforce units on their land, and sell the units for income, similar to what Harvard, Irvine, Cal Poly and many universities do. A property owner should be able to subdivide their land if it is 12,000 square feet or larger if they make the parcel affordable. Granny units should be allowed on homes on 5,000 sq. feet so that homes in NW Pasadena, the only area of the city where Blacks were allowed to live, can gain have family close by. Building codes should be relaxed in industrial and commercial areas allowing artist and workers to create housing units within their worksites.
We must preserve our early mixed-income history and re-create a healthy mixed-income non-racialized housing developments and cultivate a culture of equity, compassion and access to all who need a place to call home. We must shift Pasadena's policies so that Pasadena becomes a model to our neighboring cities and beyond. This will take an army of advocates. We are miles ahead of many cities with 20 years of success. Will you join us?
Support use of church land for "ancillary purposes" such as trailers and tiny homes for our homeless neighbors
We were pleased to learn that the Planning Department wants to study the possibility of allowing churches to use their property for FEMA trailers and other structures to house our homeless neighbors. This zone change is urgently needed during this Covid 19 pandemic and would enable churches to do as God commands in Isaiah 58:7: "Give shelter to the homeless."
This topic will come up for discussion on Wednesday, June 24, at 2:30 pm. Please write a letter in support of this proposal right now, or else submit it at 2:35 pm tomorrow so it will be read aloud during public comment.
Here are instructions on what to do:
Sample letter on how to respond to item 5 B:
I want to commend the Planning Department for considering changes in the Zoning Code that would allow an ancillary structure or trailer on church property for affordable housing. Given the urgent need for affordable/homeless during the Covid 19 pandemic, this seems like a much needed emergency measure and may also provide a long-term solution. Many congregations have excess land that they are willing to use for missional purposes, such as affordable/homeless housing. The current pandemic will probably increase the need for homeless and affordable housing by as much as 54%, according to a Columbia professor. Our city needs to be proactive and prepared for this emergency. FEMA trailers could be used to house families and pallet and tiny homes could provide temporary or even long-term shelter.
Here's the text of item 5 B:
B. Potential Code Amendment for Church Properties Staff will facilitate a study session on potential changes to the Zoning Code that would allow an ancillary structure or trailer on church property for affordable housing. Case Manager: David Reyes (Revised on June 22, 2020)
PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS:
If you wish to provide comment you may do so as follows:
1. ADVANCE CORRESPONDENCE, TO BECOME PART OF THE RECORD: Submit public comment of any length to tmolinar@cityofpasadena.net prior to the meeting day. Please be aware that, while these comments will be provided to the members of the body and will become part of the meeting record, they will not be read aloud.
2. COMMENTS TO BE READ ALOUD AT THE MEETING: At the start of the meeting you may submit public comment of up to 200 words regarding items on the agenda to:
www.cityofpasadena.net/planning/public-comment.
The body reserves the right to summarize comments if necessary for the orderly and timely flow of the meeting. All comments in their entirety will become part of the meeting record. Comments will not be accepted after the public comment period has closed. Public comments will be limited to matters on this agend
Racism and Housing: Some Solutions Proposed by MHCH
ADDRESSING RACISM AND INEQUALITY IN HOUSING
Nine in ten blacks say African-Americans have not achieved equality in this country. Four in ten are skeptical that they ever will. Yet thirty-eight percent of white Americans think "our country has made the changes needed to give blacks equal rights with whites." Facts suggest we have a long way to go to achieve economic equality between white and black Americans. According to a 2020 study by the Brookings Institute, "close examination of wealth in the U.S. finds evidence of staggering racial disparities. At $171,000, the net worth of a typical white family is nearly ten times greater than that of a Black family ($17,150) in 2016. Gaps in wealth between Black and white households reveal the effects of accumulated inequality and discrimination, as well as differences in power and opportunity that can be traced back to this nation's inception. The Black-white wealth gap reflects a society that has not and does not afford equality of opportunity to all its citizens" https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/02/27/examining-the-black-white-wealth-gap/).
The insidious force of unconscious bias and the long shadows of systemic racism persist in housing and land use policy, banking and insurance programs, that affect equity of housing opportunity. This often leads to displacement and homelessness among African Americans. Systemic racism also makes it harder for African Americans to purchase and keep their homes or stay in their apartments. That's why systemic reforms such as affirmatively furthering fair housing and other policies are needed as you will read below. Please prayerfully consider each of the 9 ideas below and come up with more idea of your own.
Some basic questions also need to be addressed. Is housing a right or a commodity? The concept of housing as a right is accepted in the UK and other parts of Europe, where low income people receive financial stipends so they can afford housing in the private market.Another important question: should cities promote racial and socio-economic diversity? The city of Pasadena has a beautiful vision of housing justice on page 1 of in its Housing Element:
All Pasadena residents have an equal right to live in decent, safe and affordable housing in a suitable living environment for the long-term well-being and stability of themselves, their families, their neighborhoods, and their community. The housing vision for Pasadena is to maintain a socially and economically diverse community of homeowners and renters who are afforded this right.
The policies listed below could help Pasadena to realize this vision.
Support Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH). The Fair Housing Act of 1968 prevents discrimination based on race, but unfortunately it is hard to implement because it is underfunded and complaint-based. With the severe housing shortage, many are fearful to complain about discrimination in housing because they are afraid to lose their housing. Additionally, there is little funding to test the market, which requires that Blacks and Whites show up to apply for the same apartment or home and record the findings. AFFH strengthens the Fair Housing Act so that housing discrimination can be demonstrated not just by individual cases, but also by statistics showing racially biased disparate impacts: https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/the-racial-wealth-gap-what-california-can-do-about-a-long-standing-obstacle-to-shared-prosperity/
Trump gutted AFFH, see: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/state_local_government/publications/state_local_law_news/2019-20/spring/the-trump-administrations-proposed-rule-change-the-2015-affirmatively-furthering-fair-housing-rule/
And senators sought to revive it: https://www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/minority/senators-oppose-hud-rule-that-rolls-back-efforts-to-address-housing-discrimination-segregation
California Governor Jerry Brown on September 30, 2018, signed a fair housing bill (AB 686),to affirmatively further fair housing in California. Starting on January 1, 2019, hundreds of cities, counties, and state agencies in California were supposed to take proactive measures to fix housing inequality related to race, national origin, color, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religion, and other protected characteristics. All cities and counties were supposed to reach out to and engage constituents on issues of inequity and discrimination in housing. In Pasadena it would be important to know what percent of the affordable homeownership units with Habitat, Heritage Housing Partners and Inclusionary units have been accessed by African Americans. Beginning in 2021 this new law will require each city and county to include an analysis and action plan to combat housing discrimination as part of its General Plan. see: https://nlihc.org/resource/california-enacts-affirmatively-furthering-fair-housing-law It is important for advocates to make sure that Pasadena is implementing AB 686.
Right-to-return to address displacement due to gentrification. Gentrification has become a major problem in Pasadena as well as other cities, leading to a mass exodus of African Americans. Due to rising housing prices and other factors, Black population dropped 24% in Pasadena from 2000-2010. Nearly one-quarter of Pasadena's African American residents left the city during that period, replaced mostly by Asians and Pacific Islanders, according to 2010 Census figures. As of 2020, only 9.7% of Pasadenans are Black. Some have been priced out, others cashed out, selling their homes and moving to less expensive areas. Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco, CA, are experimenting with a policy to reverse this trend. It's called the right-to-return. This policy prioritizes displaced minorities for affordable housing units. While there are some legal and other challenges, this policy could help return some of those displaced in Pasadena. See http://portlandobserver.com/news/2016/apr/26/right-return-home/
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/mar/01/portland-anti-gentrification-housing-scheme-right-return
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/684820
Local: San Francisco's right to return policy: https://sfmayor.org/article/mayor-london-breed-celebrates-san-franciscos-right-return-ordinance and some efforts to look at this in other areas: https://www.lewis.ucla.edu/residential-preference-policies/ and https://www.yimbylaw.org/right-of-return
Explore the possibility of using individual Development Accounts (IDA) to promote homeownership by african american and other minorities who have faced discrimination. An IDA is an asset building tool designed to enable low-income families to save towards a targeted amount usually used for building assets in the form of home ownership, post-secondary education and small business ownership In principle IDAs work as matched savings accounts that supplement the savings of low-income households with matching funds drawn from a variety of private and public sources. Considering how Blacks disproportionately lost much of their wealth after the 2008 melt-down due to discriminatory practices by predatory banks, it makes sense to set up a fund to help African Americans save the money needed for home ownership. This might be funded through the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) whereby banks are required to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they operate, including low- and moderate-income (LMI) neighborhoods. Banks are required to reinvest in their community could help to create an IDA program tied to a right-to-return policy? To learn more about IDA, Individual Development Account see: https://www.freeandclear.com/programs/individual-development-account-to-buy-home.html
Churches might also help with IDA. For example, Lake Ave church raises $90,000 or more a year to keep folks in their homes. Maybe churches would be open to support some percent of matching and/or local realtors. This could possibly be done with some kind of scoring of points to qualify that would include proof of displacement from certain neighborhoods showing the disparate impact.
Create IDAs for all youth under 18, and many other public investments in racial equity. See the 35 goals that the mayor of Hyattsville, Maryland is recommending https://route1reporter.com/2020/06/02/hyattsville-mayor-outlines-35-racial-equity-policy-goals-for-city/
Create a state-level estate, investor tax and other taxes to help bring about shared prosperity.
An estate tax is levied on large accumulations of wealth that are transferred from the estate of people who have died to their beneficiaries.[66] Ideally, the US would have a robust estate tax that would reduce wealth accumulation, with the proceeds invested in wealth-building strategies designed to level the playing field for all Americans. However, the federal estate tax has been weakened dramatically since the late 1990s to the point that nearly all estates are exempt from this tax.
California should create its own estate tax, joining 18 other states and the District of Columbia that tax inherited wealth. With such a tax, California could both reduce wealth disparities and use the resulting revenues — potentially in the billions per year — to fund wealth-building policies or other public investments that would benefit the vast majority of Californians.
Another tax or fee that should be considered would be on flippers and global investors who push prices up.
Support homeownership for low-income Californians with Shared Equity programs and CLT—Community Land Trusts.
To ease the burdensome housing costs and help Californians build wealth, state policymakers can further help low-income Californians become homeowners, which could benefit Californians of color. One option is to invest in shared equity programs, which offer subsidies to lower the initial costs of a home for new buyers. When homeowners sell their home, a portion of the proceeds is reinvested in the program, allowing future low-income buyers to afford a home and keeping the program sustainable. California could significantly invest in affordable homeownership by providing funding for shared equity housing for those otherwise priced out of the housing market and tie funds to long-term affordability requirements. Local governments and nonprofits could be responsible for monitoring units and resales and offering support to homeowners.
To help fund this investment, California should consider eliminating the state mortgage interest tax deduction. The deduction allows households to reduce their taxable incomes by the value of qualified mortgage interest expenses paid on up to $1 million in debt and primarily benefits wealthy homeowners. This tax break exacerbates racial and ethnic disparities, with white families not only more likely to own homes, but also to have more valuable homes.
Community Land Trusts were birthed after the civil rights movement to address economic rights for Blacks. The first one was created by Blacks and for blacks in Albany, Georgia, in one the toughest places in the US to gain civil right. The land is held in common, and any improvements on the land, including housing is kept permanently affordable. Today there are over 250 CLT in the US and national network to help with technical support to start and maintain CLTs with many Blacks on their board and staff and leadership teams. One of the earlier ones is in Irvine, now supporting cities in Orange County. We have a team hoping to start one in the San Gabriel Valley. You might want to join this effort. If so, contact: Connie@makinghousinghappen.com
Create a Luxury Tax to help Achieve Racial Equity in Housing Outcomes:
In partnership with the Consumer Health Foundation and the Meyer Foundation, the D.C. Policy Center asked a cross-section of community organizations, traditional and low-income housing developers, researchers, and other stakeholders to answer the question: What is the most important public policy that could increase affordable housing, reduce housing inequities, and create a more inclusive D.C.? .
Creating a tax on luxury homes that could be used to expand rent subsidies. An additional tax on the sales or values of $1 million homes could generate additional revenue for housing assistance that could help Washingtonians remain in their city. A 0.1 percent luxury tax on homes valued at $1 million or more would have generated $25.4 million in property tax revenue in 2017. A 1 percent luxury transfer tax on home sales of $1 million or more in 2015 would have generated $9.8 million in revenue.
The city must also invest in state-of-the-art public housing and the financing of limited equity co-ops.
Vouchers hold the unique potential to unlock high-opportunity neighborhoods precisely to those who have historically been excluded from such areas. Moreover, vouchers can enable households to remain in, or move back to, a neighborhood transformed by gentrification—thus curtailing or even reversing the threat of displacement due to rising housing costs.
Create a resolution calling for the Planning Department to center racial and social equity in its work by developing strategies to counter structural racism in collaboration with communities of color. Also, instruct staff to assure its hiring practices to reflect The City's demographics and to build establish metrics to track accountability. One resolution apologized for past housing policies like redlining that intentionally segregated and forcibly removed communities of color, during a period of urban renewal, while failing to intervene and course-correct moving forward.
Create racial equity frameworks and other measures for nonprofits:
https://view.info.enterprisecommunity.org/?qs=ef99ad0d8af9af26c9a64feee15eb3813ad474414eb0f972992c4b654e0f4ae4d2d8abff060af5e1ae482b2d4b50251650a5dbd12667e87a14e8e6254a4714104bdb3b654786e1560a135cbcdc7990a0
https://view.info.enterprisecommunity.org/?qs=9a8fae25d868d3d4110dbc156a5fe09bf6dfbdc8dc1df987267cb62d4ff17ed55ca62de397e854e4591ff3bfe84b7c8562166ee7f0853f85246f5acad0c472d9693972ef87345f47c67ab6ce99a8a77f
CREATE MORE FEDERAL FUNDING TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND PROVIDE HOUSING VOUCHER. In the US over 6 million people are paying more than 50% of their income for housing and desperately need help. People of color are disproportionately burdened by unaffordable rents and many end up homeless. "Black people experiencing homelessness continue to make up a disproportionate share of the total homeless population across the nation, and Pasadena is no exception. Data from the 2020 Homeless Count reveal persistent and deeply rooted racial inequities, with 31% of people experiencing homelessness identifying as Black or African American, despite only representing 10% of Pasadena's general population according to the American Community Survey (ACS)
Census Bureau data.' Page 7 of Pasadena's 2020 homeless count: https://pasadenapartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Pasadena-Homeless-Count_2020-FINAL.pdf
Today we have a lottery system in which a few receive vouchers while the many are on waiting lists and never become "winners."
US spends over ten times more on housing subsidies to wealthy homeowners than on affordable housing. According to a 2019 Report by the Brookings Institute, over 70 billion dollars in Mortgage Interest Deduction go to homeowners. Many are wealthy and white (making over $100,000 per year) and receive 77% of tax benefits. The cumulative tax benefits for homeowners are estimated to be $671 billion. In comparison, the U.S. spends roughly $46 billion a year on affordable housing. Policies need to change so that low-income homeowners and renters receive their fair share of government subsidies. This would help equalize the enormous wealth gap between whites and Blacks. https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/chipping-away-at-the-mortgage-deduction/#:~:text=The%20mortgage%2Dinterest%20deduction%20has%20been%20expensive%2C%20reducing%20federal%20revenues,down%20to%20around%20%2430%20billion.
Racism and Housing Forum
Please join us on Tuesday, June 23, at 7 pm for a Monthly Housing Justice Forum sponsored by Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH). Learn some key aspects of the history of racism and housing in our city and what can be done to address this problem.
Pasadena City Council Member John J. Kennedy, a leader of complex and diverse organizations, has significant experience in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. He has devoted his life to community service as a civic leader and community organizer. His political involvement and extensive travel have provided him with knowledge and understanding of local, national and international government practices and procedures.
Dr. Jill Shook, D-Min BGU, is the Executive Director of Making Housing and Community Happen. In 1991, she moved to Pasadena to learn from Dr. John Perkins, African American leader and founder of the Harambee Center and the Christian Community Development Association. After listening to the poorest and most marginalized population, she was led to become an advocate for affordable housing as a tool to help break the cycle of generational poverty. She is author of Making Housing Happen: Faith Based Affordable Housing Models and does Housing Justice Workshops around the US.
When: Tues. June 23, 2020, 7:00-8:30 PM Pacific Time
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYldumspjwtHdFFSmVAoLZNO1hWEcvGjsj7
Join us Friday, June 12 at 9 AM PST, to learn and support re-zoning congregations to allow for affordable housing.


Bonifacio Day is celebrated on November 30th or the Monday closest to this day. The day celebrates the birthday Andres Bonifacio.
People may visit monument dedicated to Bonifacio and be thankful for his contribution. Many will spend time with family and friends at parks and other public gatherings. This day is a national holiday with most government and many businesses closed.
Bonifacio was born on November 30 1863 and was one of the main people who started the Philippine revolution against the Spanish. He was part of the Katipunan movement in 1892, which was a secret revolutionary group that had much success in fighting the Spanish.


TRAILS: Multi-use trails are open to hiking, cycling and horseback riding. The remaining trails, parts of the Little Mountain system and all of the Stuart's Knob system, are for pedestrian use only. SWIMMING: Lake swimming - Saturday of Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day only. The swimming beach is complete with a bathhouse, concession area and beach toys. FISHING/BOATING: The 168-acre Fairy Stone Lake is great for family fishing and boating. Paddle this serene lake in your canoe or kayak. Boat rentals are available daily Memorial Day through Labor Day and on weekends in April, May, September and October, weather permitting. HORSES: Although no horses are rented here, they are allowed on the park's multi-use trails, and the park has an area designated for horse trailers. HUNTING: About half the park's land is open to hunting. Visit the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries website for more information on hunting.


Infallible Techie: How to insert child record using Parent record's External Id field?
How to insert child record using Parent record's External Id field?
here Employee__c is the field which is a lookup to Employee__c object and Employee_Primary_Email__c is the External Id field.


text:
Comelec chief Brillantes: Getting source code still slim
Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. on Wednesday said the poll body is in the last part of its negotiations with Dominion Voting Systems, but he admitted that the chance of getting the source code remains slim.
"I'm still waiting. I'm still in negotiation with Dominion. Hopefully, something happens before the first week of March," Brillantes told reporters.
"We are already on the last part of negotiations. (I am) not very much (optimistic). I would say at this point, it's about 50-50," he added.
The source code is still with the SLI Global Solutions, which tested it and certified it as 'functionally capable.'
SLI, however, cannot release it without a go-signal from Dominion which is in a legal battle with Smartmatic.
"The only pending lang is whether we can ask SLI to bring the source code here so that it can be reviewed by parties and interested groups. Right now, we already announced that we are having difficulty because Dominion does not want to give the go signal for SLI to bring it here," he said.
Dominion wants Smartmatic to pay $10 million for using the former's technology during the 2010 polls. Brillantes earlier offered to put the money in escrow.
But Brillantes reiterated that with or without the source code review by political parties, "we will proceed with the automated elections."
"Whether we get it or not, we already have the binary code. This is regardless of the presence of the source code. Meron namang source code, hindi lang mare-review ng parties. but hopefully maayos na, we can get it, then that would settle the final issue pending before the commission. Tuloy tuloy na," he said.
Source codes are human readable instructions or software while binaries are machine readable instructions.
He further said that the review of the source code is a requirement under law but "it is not a prerequisite for the validity of the elections."
"As what happened in 2010, it was never reviewed by any party and yet we had the elections. Kaya lang para mawala yung credibility and acceptance issue, mas maganda sana kung andyan para hindi kwestiyunin ng iba na hindi nila nakita e. So mas maganda pa rin na makuha namin," Brillantes said. — RSJ, GMA News
Posted by GMA News Online / News / Nation at 12:51 am Add comments Tagged with: Dominion Voting Systems, RSJ, Sixto Brillantes Jr, SLI
Comelec to ask Maceda to explain 'raffle' during Kabaka meeting SC clears media, finds Ampatuan trial prosecutor guilty of contempt

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Shamsabad és una ciutat i nagar panchayat del districte de Farrukhabad a Uttar Pradesh. Consta al cens del 2001 amb una població de 23.584 habitants (eren 8.375 un segle abnans el 1901). És a uns 30 km al nord-oest de Farrukhabad.

Anomenada antigament Khor fou fundada al  per un rathor descendent de Jai Chand el darrer rajà de Kanauj, però el 1228 Iltutmish es va presentar a la zona i va expulsar els rathors i va rebatejar la ciutat com a Shamsabad (del seu títol de Shams al-Din). Els rathors no van tardar a recuperar-la i van romandre rebels al govern de Delhi fins que en van esdevenir tributaris. Al , en la lluita entre Delhi i Jaunpur, els rathors van donar suport al sultà de Delhi i foren expulsats de la zona pel sultà de Jaunpur i la ciutat va quedar arrasada, restant només algunes ruïnes. Una nova ciutat es va fundar el 1585.

Referències

Municipis d'Uttar Pradesh

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I realized today that I am in dire need of some summer essentials.
headbands, and a sunscreen that won't slide off when I, um, glisten.
Some new (paper) reading material for the beach. This iPad thing isn't cutting it.
I'm also on the hunt for the perfect free standing hammock.
So, can you help me pick which towel to order?
Which of my paintings would you pick for your summer fun?
What's on your must have summer shopping list?
Know of any great sales?
Click here to get free shipping in my Society6 shop +$5 off beach towels!
Currently it's not feeling very summery at all here.


The second season of Yellowstone is almost here, and the Paramount Network has released a brand-new, action-packed trailer that picks up where the first season left off: with the Dutton family still fighting for their ranch while foreshadowing new dangers that threaten to upend their home and their lives. You can check out the trailer in the player below!
The first season of Yellowstone averaged 5.1 million total viewers per episode, making it 2018's most-watched new cable series and ranking second across all cable TV series for the year. Starring world-renowned actor and Oscar-winner Kevin Costner, Yellowstone is co-created by critically-acclaimed, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Taylor Sheridan (Wind River, Hell or High Water), and John Linson. The impressive cast list for Yellowstone also includes Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Brecken Merrill, Jefferson White and Gil Birmingham.
Season 2 of Yellowstone kicks off June 19th on the Paramount Network.


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Big Green's Triple Threat
Posted on February 20, 2019 by H C 0
Has Remington finally cracked the Da Vinci code and brought us a factory M1911 that's affordable, reliable, accurate, and a suppressor host? Our quest brings us to Remington's modern take on a 100-year-old relic.
Is this the Holy Grail of value?
Never having been one to believe in conspiracy theories, I often wondered why I hadn't come across a M1911 platformed handgun that was accurate, and reliable while being affordable at the same time. Affordable 1911s only seemed to reinforce the stereotype of jam-o-matics with minimal features and a diminished round capacity. A 1911 that did fill the requirement of accurate and reliable quickly grew closer in price to one month's mortgage payment or a couple of month's car payments. A stiff premium to pay for a working man I'd say. Wouldn't you? Now, I know what some of you are thinking at this point. If you can afford to spend money on a suppressor, tax stamp, firearm, and ammo then financially you should be able to afford whatever it takes to get the job done right, right? In the grand scheme of things, I'd agree with you, but what if, now stay with me here, what if, someone could give you reliability, accuracy and suppressor host options all from the factory, for around half the cost compared to its next closest competitor. Would you take that deal? And that brings us to Remington's Enhanced R1 Threaded Barrel model. In what is only a natural progression for Remington and their R1 line, they have answered the demand for factory suppressor hosts by adding a threaded stainless match barrel and extra tall sights to their already well optioned enhanced series. So, is the Enhanced R1 TB the answer to our prayers or is it another wild goose chase for the grail of value in the M1911 world? Let's find out.
Keeping it simple with packing,
From a packaging standpoint you get a simple green box with the Remington "R" on it. Remington keeps it clean, old school, and I imagine keeps cost lower by going this route. And I'm good with It. The box, with its foam insert, does its job at getting the Enhanced R1 from Remington safely to you and housing its contents, a gun, owner manual, bushing wrench, cable lock, and two magazines. All extras were quickly placed back in the box and the box then inventoried away in my archives like the last scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. My attention quickly turned to the magazines. Remington packages two 8 round magazines with the gun. Both have thick black plastic base pads with the "R" proudly embossed on them along with "45 Auto" just in case you forget what goes in them. What really drew my attention was the follower in the magazine. The follower itself is plastic but has a metal insert attached to the ledge that contacts the slide release and engages the slide lock feature when empty. Anyone familiar with 1911s can attest, a magazine can make or break this platform. I was now left with unpacking the Enhanced R1 Threaded Barrel from its wrapper. The Enhanced R1 was heavily oiled when I removed it, my hand was immediately saturated. No big deal to me as I would rather have to wipe off residual oil than deal with a rusted gun. The gun wiped down to reveal no visual issues from the factory. I could now begin the true assessment of the Enhanced R1.
Dissecting the R1
At first glance the Enhanced R1 is a good-looking gun that plays its role well. Except for the .578×28 threaded stainless-steel match barrel, Remington has taken the concept of stealth to every part of the Enhanced R1 by making it matte black with their oxide finish. I field stripped the gun and started my inspection with the slide. Made of forged carbon steel, it is a traditional rounded over top with front and rear side serrations. The ejection port is mildly flared and contains an internal extractor. Suppressor height sights are made of aluminium and are driven into the dovetails cut into the slide. The sights have serrations on the face of both the front and rear, are traditional notch type and have a two-dot sighting system.
A thread protector is also included.
A stainless-steel match grade extended, and threaded barrel is used. The barrel, bushing, slide and link are all fit well and have virtually no play in them. Unlike other bargain 1911s, who have tremendous amounts of slop in these critical areas, I was shocked to see how well these mated. Either the planets aligned, or Remington's QC department is keeping a close watch here. A GI length guide rod is used and in my opinion is the best choice for a 1911 set for suppressor use. It should be noted that as a "Series 80" safety style gun, the slide is cut and equipped with the appropriate parts for such.
As we make our way to the frame, the biggest area for debate will be Remington's choice in parts manufacturing processes. While a debate in the 1911 realm, it won't be here. Remington has chosen to use a cast carbon steel frame and MIM receiver parts. The bottom line is simple, if a casting is done properly it will yield a good part. If the MIM process is done properly it will yield a good part. In the case of this Remington I have no doubt I will get a lifetime of enjoyment from my Enhanced R1. The enhanced package from Remington allotted the installation of an extended beaver tail grip safety with a bump on its heel. The enhanced grip safety was a welcome plus but was a bit undersized and fit loosely in the frame. While the excess play ensured that no binding would occur it was noticeable enough to mention. The flat mainspring housing is plastic and sports checkering. The front strap of the frame wears 8 vertical serrations that are just deep enough to be functional without cutting into your fingers. They are very subtle and blend in well. The magazine release is a plain jane button style with 6 serrations. Again, very functional without much fan fair. The black skeletonized trigger is a three-hole design with an adjustable overtravel screw. As with the grip safety, the trigger shoe is undersized and flaps around in the track excessively. This does not affect function but will annoy a good number of shooters. The slide lock is a traditional length and the single sided safety should be considered oversized. The safety is positive and locks up well. No concerns for accidentally engaging or disengagement here, it will take some effort on your end to do either, which is a good thing. The hammer is a serrated skeletonized variant. And finally, the grips. Made from laminated wood, the checkering on these grips is beyond positive! The points on the grip come to a very sharp tip that may be too aggressive for most shooters. If you have sensitive hands be prepared with gloves or the funds to quickly replacing the grips.
Having discussed the Enhanced R1 as its two separate halves we can now discuss them as a complete firearm. When attached there is very little play in slide to frame fitment. Whether checking for play at the front of the gun or the back of the gun, it simply did not move. I then proceeded to rack the slide several times and check for play in the barrels lock up, there was none. I ended up at the muzzle and checked for play between the barrel and bushing, yet again, nothing. I was staring at an "affordable" 1911 that had just as good if not better lock up than some of the "premium" 1911s I owned. After the shock of the fitment subsided, I tried the trigger. Being a "series 80" safety style gun I was again surprised by what I was witnessing. The trigger had very little take up, no grittiness and no overtravel. I know people who have paid extra to get triggers to this point. After several pulls of the trigger I broke out the trusty Lyman trigger pull gage. The average of 10 pulls was 4.8 pounds. While the sound of that might not impress hardcore competition or bullseye shooters it should make anyone with the intent of self-defense, home defense or general target shooting ecstatic. I'm not one to get caught up in numbers when it comes to certain things. Since an individual's perception is their reality you can only base so much on certain numbers. What I'm trying to say is don't get caught up in reading 4.8 pounds. Instead focus on the fact that I said little take up, no grittiness and no overtravel as these parameters, in my opinion, mean much more than a unit of measure here.
In concluding my academic appraisal of the Remington Enhanced R1 Threaded Barrel I could only gather that this particular specimen met every criteria of what a good 1911 is. Slide to frame fit was above average, barrel fitment was exceptional, barrel to bushing fit was outstanding, and trigger pull and feel superb. Even with the fitment issues in the non-critical areas described above, the Enhanced R1 displayed a value I have not seen in a 1911 ever before. But talk is cheap, and a bench top dissection can only get you so far in a real review. The real test is on the range, and in the case of the Enhanced R1 it had to pass two tests. The first as a standalone 1911 and the second as a suppressor host. As if being a 1911 isn't hard enough these days.
Sending Lead Down Range
My first outing with the Enhanced R1 Threaded Barrel was a personal one. Consisting of its first 250 rounds, the plan was simple, take as long as needed to put all rounds down range and collet data. I don't believe in "break in" periods or any special rituals so the only thing done in preparation for the big day was to wipe off any excess oil that came on it from the factory. With an IPSC style target set up at 15 yards I loaded up 6 rounds of Winchester Ranger 230 grain SXTs (hollow points) into one of the included magazines, inserted, chambered, took aim and fired. With only three rounds fired I experienced my first malfunction, a double feed.
Only with the OEM magazines did these malfunctions occur.
I quickly cleared the stoppage and loaded the same magazine again, with three rounds in it, chambered and fired. Malfunction again! Suffering from it's second double feed I could only think one thing, this is going to be a long day. After clearing the gun for the second time I loaded the two remaining rounds and fired. No malfunctions and the gun achieved slide lock. Having been aiming at a hand drawn two-inch circle on the target, all five rounds hit high and left within the A zone. I then loaded the second magazine that came with the R1 with another 6 rounds of the hollow points. This time two round got off before a double feed. I cleared and reloaded the remaining four, fired once, and had a double feed. Having experienced three malfunctions in less than two magazines and 9 rounds I was done. Before allowing frustration to set in I cleared the R1 and loaded the remaining two hollow points along with five more, for a total of seven, into one of three 15 plus year-old Wilson Combat magazine I had on hand. All 7 rounds fired with no issues and slide lock was achieved after the final round, as should. Not dismissing the factory magazines just yet, I loaded each with eight rounds of 185 grain semi wadcutter ammo. Magazine one fired all without issue while magazine two had a double feed after the first round. I was now officially done with the two OEM supplied magazines. After packing away the two magazines I loaded 21 rounds of 185 grain semi wadcutters into the three Wilson magazines. All fired with no issues. For the rest of the shooting session I experienced no other malfunction. After discontinuing use of the problem inducing OEM magazines the R1 ran like a swiss watch.
I experienced no stoppages with 15+ year old Wilson Combat magazines.
With a mixed diet of hollow points, semi wadcutters and ball ammunition there was no arguing this was a shooter. What seemed to be a day destined to drag on quickly became one that went by too soon. The R1 was more than capable of taking down 8-inch steel plates at 25 yards while producing sub 3-inch rapid fire groups at 15 yards. After exhausting my supply of ammo, I packed up the R1 and headed home knowing that I'd have more than enough opportunity to put it through its paces over the next few weeks.
My next outing with the R1 brought it to a training session with the Police Department that I work for. As a trainer I thought what better way to test the R1 than to let several shooters of varying skill sets try it out. For some officers this was the first time they would ever fire a 1911, and for others the first time firing suppressed. With a diet strictly of 230 grain ball ammunition fed from three old Wilson Combat magazines, the R1 was fired 250 time over 3 days by 11 officers while wearing an AAC TiRant 45 suppressor. The gun ran flawless with zero malfunctions. Officers with little or no experience were hitting 12"x12" steel at distances up to 50 yards with little effort. I asked for feedback and three points kept being brought up. The first was the amazement that they could fire .45acp without hearing protection. There was more curiosity as to how quiet the gun was than anything else. The second was how the gun felt in their hands. Many said they expected the gun to be nose heavy with the long suppressor attached but were surprised that it wasn't. Many comments were made abut how heavy the gun is, they all carry 9mm Glocks, but many also stated it was a manageable weight. The third point was the recoil, or should I say lack thereof. With preexisting stereotypes of a heavy recoiling round and platform combination many were quick to compare the jolt of the suppressed R1 to that of their duty 9mm guns. After the last day of training I was very content with the performance of the R1. With 500 rounds down the barrel, both suppressed and unsuppressed, I couldn't ask for more up to this point but knew that its hardest test was yet to come.
The R1's third and final test took us to the range with 13c himself. With homefield advantage we would double team the R1 with over 400 rounds of a mixed bag of ammunition and the use of an AAC TiRant 45 and a Gemtech GM-45 suppressor. In a three-hour time span, having been shot both suppressed and unsuppressed, the only time we encountered a malfunction was when the gun was reintroduced to the OEM Remington magazines. No matter what ammunition was used, the OEM magazines would double feed at some point. Again, the OEM magazines were taken out of rotation and all stoppages ceased. With most of our shooting done on steel at varying distances, the R1 did not disappoint.
With a street price of around $650, Remington's Enhanced R1 Threaded Barrel is a bargain in the realm of 1911s and a steal when you factor in the suppressor host options. After putting over 900 rounds through it, the R1 easily earned our respect regarding reliability. With no cleaning between range sessions, a variety of ammunition used and combined with the grime that comes with suppressor use the R1 never failed us. We can't completely dismiss the fact that the two OEM magazines provided induced malfunctions, but we also won't hold the gun itself accountable for them. From a reliability standpoint the R1 did what many 1911s can't do, and that was run.
When it came to fit and finish the R1 held its own against competitors with steeper price tags and less features. It's matte black finish and overall appearance make the R1 a visually intimidating firearm. With tight fitment in critical areas such as slide to frame, and barrel lock up we couldn't help but accept the loose-fitting grip safety and trigger as they did not hamper performance. The sub 5-pound trigger broke clean with little take up and overtravel, something I was very impressed with here. As a suppressor host, the barrel's .578×28 pitched threads were cut clean and sharp making attaching cans simple. From a sighting standpoint the aluminum construction of the front and rear sights may not be as robust as some may like but we found it more than adequate for our needs. The extra tall sights cleared both our suppressors with ease and made zeroing in on targets effortless.
So where does that leave us? Well, while I won't say this was a miracle, I will say Remington has produced one of the best factory 1911 suppressor hosts available today. When you consider the price of the Enhanced R1 Threaded Barrel, factor in all it's features and recognize it's real world performance you can't help but become a believer.
Companion Video to this article
Reviews, Uncategorized	1911, aac, gemtech, r1, remington, silencer, threaded barrel
Remington Steel BBs, 1500ct
PSA 1911 Trigger 3 Hole Aluminum - 7789640
Q Silencer 22 LR - El Camino
Remington .177 Caliber Pointed Pellets (200 Count)
PSA 1911 Novak(C) Cut Sight Set (front and rear) - 778639


As a species, humans really seem to like celebrating with incredibly loud displays of bright colors. I'm talking about fireworks of course! From your bird's perspective though, all that beautiful display amounts to is something that's too loud, too bright, and too startling.
Whether it's the 4th of July, Bonfire Night, or New Year's Eve, fireworks have become a major part of many of our favorite holidays, and calming birds down during all that noise isn't always easy. All that noise isn't very fun for your pets in general, but a bird is particularly sensitive. Below you'll find a few great ideas to help put your bird more at ease so that your whole family can enjoy the festivities!
The most important thing you can do to keep your bird from being anxious is to stay calm yourself.
The holidays can be a stressful time! It's easy to get frazzled, especially if you are involved in all of the planning and organization that goes along with having a party in your home. Take extra precautions in the days leading up to the big event to have everything as organized and under control as possible. If your party planning starts off small and escalates slowly over a few days until the chaos of the main event, it will go a long way toward limiting your bird to all of the hustle and bustle.
Above all take steps to keep yourself and your family calm and centered. Not only is it good for your own blood pressure, it will help your bird know that everything is alright and you have things firmly under control!
Before fireworks start exploding in the sky, take the time to shut your house down. Close the windows and pull all of the curtains. If you don't have heavy curtains, consider hanging blankets over your windows.
This one simple precaution will go a long way toward making your bird more comfortable during a fireworks show. It muffles some of the loud noise and all of the bright lights.
Having your windows closed also protects your bird from dangerous fumes. Birds have incredibly delicate respiratory systems, which can be irritated by sulfur fumes from fireworks, and even smoke from a backyard grill.
Think about providing your bird with a tent or other hiding place during the fireworks, it can help for them to have somewhere to retreat to when they are feeling overwhelmed. If you regularly cover your bird's cage at night, then you can put the cover on to provide a further muffling effect. However, don't cover your bird's cage unless they are already used to it. Covering the cage for the first time during an event that is already stressful will just heighten your bird's anxiety.
If your bird's cage is in a high traffic area of your house, then it might be a good idea to move them to a different room temporarily. the heavy activity and parade of strangers that go along with holiday activities can cause undue stress even in birds that are usually quite calm.
However, you shouldn't put your bird somewhere completely out of the way! Many birds are intensely social and will feel stressed if they are completely separated from their family. The ideal safe room for your bird during a fireworks display or holiday party is somewhere where guest aren't meant to congregate, but is still close enough for family members to come in and visit them every so often.
Another thing to consider is that birds love music! Play some calming music or a playlist of your bird's favorite songs in the room their cage is in to help drown out a loud party or fireworks display.
Maybe one of the most important tips I have for you is to not take your bird outside if there might be fireworks going off, including the days leading up to and following a fireworks heavy holiday.
Birds startle easily and more than one bird owner has lost a beloved friend when a firework went of and startled their bird into flying away. Stay of the safe side with your pet and keep them inside anytime they may encounter fireworks.
With a few precautions, you and your bird will make it through the fireworks! Remeber to visit your bird often and speak to them calmly to ease their anxiety. Calming birds doen't have to be difficult, just make sure you're prepared.
If you have any concerns about the levels of anxiety your bird is experiencing, or your bird has high anxiety levels in general, be sure you contact your local vet to get some professional suggestions to help them out.
Remeber to stay safe and have fun!


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West Hartford Podiatry Foot and Ankle Specialists
Marc Lederman, D.P.M -Channel 3 Interview "Women's Feet"
Don't forget to set your DVR's and watch Dr. Marc Lederman's interview on "Women's Feet" with Irene O'Connor tomorrow on Channel 3! Thursday, May 23, 2013 between 5:00 - 6:30pm.
Distinguished Service Citation: Harvey D. Lederman, D.P.M.
APMA Immediate-past President Dr. Caporusso presented Harvey D. Lederman, D.P.M., with the Distinguished Service Citation, the association's highest honor. It is reserved for individuals whose contributions to the profession are long-term, outstanding, and of national significance.
Dr. Lederman was nominated by his son, Marc Lederman, D.P.M., and seveal colleagues. Dr. Harvey Lederman, D.P.M. Has served as Connecticut Podiatric Medical Association persent, a leader of the American Academy of Podiatric Practice Mangement (AAPPM), and vice-chair of the APMAPAC board. Dr. Marc Lederman referred to his father as "a true champion of podiatric medicine" and underscored by the many hours his father devoted to the profession during 50 years in practice. Ross Taubman, D.P.M., president and chief medical officer of the Podiatry Insurance Company of America, agreed that Dr. Harvey Lederman is "truly a trailblazer," and Hal Ornstein, D.P.M., chair of AAPPM, said, "Our profession has its giant, but few [who] are so passionately committed."
Dr. Lederman expressed his thanks, saying the citation"is something I will treasure the rest of my days."
What Is A Bunion And How Can We Help?
What Shockwave Therapy Can Do For Your Feet
Treatment Options For Ankle Sprains
Say Goodbye To Unsightly Nails With Laser Treatment For Toenail Fungus
The Dangers of Ingrown Toenails
What Types of Orthotics are Available?
Treatment Options for Heel Pain
Common Sports Injuries and When to Seek Help
Why Shockwave Therapy is Right For Me?
Nail fungus? HELP!!
Fall Color Pedicures!
Back to School - Start of Fall Sports
Welcome to the Blog of West Hartford Podiatry
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Podiatrist in West Hartford, CT
West Hartford Podiatry
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Brachymetararsia
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A proactive development policy for the AV and image industry since 1985 has led the Région Nouvelle Aquitaine to establish a fund supporting the creative and AV production industries. The fund supports short films, fiction feature films, animation, documentaries and av works (broadcasting). The objective of the fund is to develop the professional production as well as accomodate shooting in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, including promoting the creation of skilled jobs in the region. It is a selective fund with artistic and cultural criteria, criteria for content and an economic assessment related to cultural industries.
The fund is part of an agreement with the National Center for Cinematography and Moving Image (CNC), the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs of Aquitaine (Ministry of Culture and Communication) and the departments of the Charente, Charentes-Maritimes, Dordogne, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne and Pyrenees Atlantiques.


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РАННИ ЗАПИСВАНИЯ до 31.01.19г. ИЛИ ДО ИЗЧЕРПАВАНЕ НА МЕСТАТА ПО ОФЕРТАТА!
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