Lake Avenue tree issue coming around yet again

never a dull moment

You can't be serious about them wrapping this up any time soon! Do you really think that the City Council will pass up an opportunity to milk an issue like this for all it's worth? It's a perfect distraction from the real issues like paying for services, utilities, employees, and city infrastructure in the face of falling revenues. Those issues are tough, and they affect almost all citizens of Pasadean in tangible ways, and the council doesn't know what to do about it. Now you have the tree issue: the vast majority of the city's residents couldn't care less, it doesn't really affect anyone's quality of life, and the decision in the end will have little, if any, political repercussions. It's a golden opportunity for the council to roll up its collective sleeves and "get to work." They don't have the faculties to deal with the tough issues, so they kick the proverbial dead horses (or dead trees, as the case may be) for weeks on end. The only sad part is that they seemingly do not realise how ridiculous this all is.

I'd have to disagree on the point that there are no political repercussions... the people that bother to show up to vote in the elections are the ones who are really ticked off about the issue, on one side or the other. The council does not keep bringing this issue up because they think it is a political winner.

You're last sentence is probably correct, and yes, I my original comment is beyond cynical. But, really, at this point in time, this debate over trees will have negligible effect on any of the council members political futures. It's like countless other issues that the Pasadena City Council decides on lightly, and then proceeds to throw everything into reverse in the face of vocal opposition at the very last minute(opposition that they were apparently unaware of until it came with shaking fists to a council meeting). Then, of course, the issue gets blown so far out of proportion that it boggles the mind. Why do they never learn? These last-minute pitched battles are things to avoid, yet our esteemed council manages to generate more than their fair share of them.

The Council can't make a decision on something as simple as these trees because they can't decide whether to totally screw the businesses in favor of a second rate newspaper editor's wife, two elderly gadflies and a few out of town tree advocates. When the old ladies come out, they vote with them. When the business people come out, they vote with them. Or maybe the Council just can't make a decision if it doesn't cost Pasadena citizens money. D.

I was born and raised in Pasadena. I grew up in the area around Lake and Washington. As a child I remember the Rexall Drug Store, the Market Basket, the Cinema 21 and the Orange Julius on the corner of Howard and Lake. I was driving through that area last night and was just really amazed at how the area has gone down. Anytime you have a check cashing place in the same block as a hair salon with a bail bond business in the same location - you are asking for trouble. Actually how many hair salons can you have on one block? Of course possibly the trees will cover all of this up. Then of course we are missing the forest because we are focusing on the trees. Nothing like getting a haircut and then purchasing a bail bond.

they actually reversed course...