Pumping In for "Outlaw"

Some scenes for the new NBC series "Outlaw" were shot at Pasadena City Hall this week, with interiors in the Council Chamber on the second floor and exteriors in corridors and the grand entrance.

City Hall portrayed a federal courthouse in Mexico. If you saw a lot of police officers in non-Pasadena uniforms, they were actors and extras, and the weapons were strictly props.

Here's what the backdrop in the Council Chamber looked like (note the blue duct as well).


Filming is now complete, and today crews are putting everything back the way they found it.

See our upcoming filming calendar here.

The exterior photo was shot by the mighty Zack Stromberg of the Public Affairs Office; the interior shot was taken by City Manager Michael J. Beck.

Looking at Something-or-other on My Conference Table

During a meeting in my office today, Michael Beck (left), the mighty Zack Stromberg, Robert Montaño and I pored over some designs for something that will be revealed to you in time.

Michael is the city manager, Zack is my graphic designer in the Public Affairs Office and Robert is a project planner in the Economic Development Office.

Monuments and Memorials in Pasadena

I gave the mighty Zack Stromberg -- my graphic designer in the Public Affairs Office -- the assignment of photographing monuments and memorials in public rights of way and on public property throughout Pasadena. For the past month or so he has been snapping away when time and weather permit.

The Pasadena Pioneers Bridge Rock is a native boulder with a plaque embedded on it. It's on the west side of Orange Grove Boulevard overlooking the 134 Freeway.


The inscription reads:

Pasadena Pioneer Bridge

Erected by the California Commission and the Division of Highways of the Department of Public Works – named by resolution of the 1953 state legislature and dedicated to all

Pasadena Pioneers

especially the twenty seven who founded this city near this spot on January 27, 1874. Dedicated October 8, 1953 by the City of Pasadena and a committee of citizens grateful for our illustrious past and committed to a more glorious future.

Here's one more for now:


Founders Monument was dedicated Jan. 27, 1954, and rededicated Nov. 12, 1986, when a new plaque replaced the original marker, which had been stolen (shame on you, whoever you are).

It's at Defenders Park, southwest corner of Orange Grove and Colorado. The stones were recycled from the library building that was constructed in 1890 at what is now Memorial Park.


The inscription:

This monument is dedicated in honor of the twenty-seven founders of the City of Pasadena. Near this spot on January 27, 1874 the original purchasers of land in the Rancho San Pasqual met and selected each his choice of lots.

J.H. Baker * Col. J. Banbury * W.J. Barcus * Henry G. Bennett * D.M. Berry * A.O. Bristol * W.T. Clapp * T.E. Croft * A.W. Dana * B.S. Eaton * Dr. T.B. Elliott * C. Fletcher * N.R. Gibson * P.M. Green * H.J. Holmes * A.W. Hutton * Ward Leavitt * T.E. Lippencott * L.J. Lockhart * T.J. Lockhart * J.M. Matthews * I.N. Mundell * A.O. Porter * N. Strickland * Mrs. C.A. Vawter * E.J. Vawter * E.J. Yarnell

Pasadena Pioneer Association
November 11, 1986

I'll post more of these in the weeks and months to come.

2009 Annual Report is Online!

Our first-ever annual report, which made its debut at Mayor Bill Bogaard's State of the City event, was the brainchild of City Manager Michael Beck.

In the interest of environmental stewardship only a limited number were printed, but you won't be left out in the cold because it's posted on the city website!

It was researched and written by yours truly with lots of input from departments (thanks, everyone!), and designed by the mighty Zack Stromberg, who also shot most of the large-format photos.

My favorite: a ceiling shot in the council chamber.


Kudos also to Assistant PIO Linda Centell, proofreader and editor extraordinaire.

Ice Cream Social at City Hall

Yesterday City Manager Michael Beck hosted a lunch-hour ice cream social in the courtyard for employees.

For the invitation the mighty Zack Stromberg, my brilliant and talented graphic designer in the Public Affairs Office, did a take-off of "The Endless Summer" movie poster:

Several department directors pitched in to help with scooping duties. Starting with the city manager in the foreground and moving to his right: Michael Beck, Fire Chief Dennis Downs, City Clerk Mark Jomsky, Finance Director Andy Green, Assistant City Manager Steve Mermell, Deputy Police Chief Chris Vicino, Human Services and Recreation Director Patsy Lane and Housing Director Bill Huang.


An ice cream social wouldn't be complete without all the trimmings! That’s Susan Soto, a graphic designer in our Print Shop, facing forward.


Below are (left to right) Jackie Scott, who manages the adaptive recreation program; Peggy Palmer, executive secretary in the Fire Department; and Robert Gorski, accessibility and disability coordinator in the Human Resources Department.


Thanks for the fun break, Michael!

Some Odds and Ends

Happy Friday!

Here are few items that I've been meaning to post about but haven't had any time to do.

After I posted the big reveal to the Mystery History photo about the first locomotive in Pasadena, including the contributions of J.F. Crank, Mike Coppess was kind enough to provide additional information about Crank on his East of Allen blog. Take a look -- it's fascinating.


I took a couple of vacation days earlier this month to join a few fellow PIOs from throughout California at a farewell shindig for one of our own. Brad Rovanpera, PIO for the City of Walnut Creek for the past 24 years, is retiring and moving with his wife to Virginia, where he's going to pursue his lifelong dream of working at Monticello! (I'm jealous.)

The City of Walnut Creek will throw a big retirement bash for him, but the PIOs who have known Brad for many years wanted to do something special for him. Everyone gathered on the patio of P.F. Chang's in Fremont (near San Jose), coming from as far away as Pasadena (moi) and San Clemente (Judy Rambeau Franz, whose hand is on my shoulder; she's the former PIO for the City of Santa Monica and is retired). Most of the others work for cities in the greater San Jose area, although Erin Blount (in red) made the two-hour trip from Sacramento where she is PIO for First Five.

We gave Brad a scrapbook that encompasses his life as a PIO, which came as a pleasant surprise to him.


Two local bloggers paid me an evening visit at Pasadena City Hall recently. Karin Bugge and Petrea Burchard enjoyed the surroundings on this pleasant summer night. Petrea posted some photos from that evening on her blog, so check it out!


A couple of great employees in the Public Affairs Office were born in July -- Zack Stromberg, my graphic designer, and Linda Centell, my assistant PIO. We had a surprise birthday party for them last week complete with a cake made with loving hands by City Manager Michael Beck.


Speaking of the city manager, he welcomed and thanked our magnificent team of Public Affairs Office volunteers during a luncheon at Robin's Restaurant last week. Some work in the office and some work in the information booth in the grand entrance of Pasadena City Hall.



The volunteers stood and told us a little more about themselves than we may have known before. Here's Duane Allen revealing additional info:


We enjoyed the ribs and the chicken, and especially the desserts! This one is called a "messy sundae."



Enjoy your weekend.

Community News You Can Use

The August issue of Pasadena In Focus has been posted to the Internet.

Learn more about our Fire Department, take some "green" training, choose from a number of family-oriented summer events and activities, get up to the speed on General Plan updates, help your gardener get rid of that nasty gas-powered leaf blower, go solar for less, avoid West Nile Virus, frustrate recycling scavengers, scoop the poop and much more!

Our community newsletter is written by yours truly and designed by Zack Stromberg, who's on staff in the Public Affairs Office. Zack also posts it to the website.