Politics & Government

South Pasadena to Honor Sen. Carol Liu Today

South Pasadena will recognize the Oct. 1 passage of SB 416, authored by Liu and designed to sell 587 properties Caltrans owns along the 710 gap.

The City of South Pasadena is scheduled hold a news conference Tuesday, Oct. 22, to recognize the successful passage of Senate Bill 416 authored by Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge) and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown Oct. 1, expediting the sale of 587 properties that the California Department of Transportation owns along the “710 gap” in South Pasadena, Pasadena and Los Angeles, where transportation officials are studying a 4.5-mile tunnel between the 710 and 210 freeways.

“The bill requires Caltrans to sell the properties, which have been under their control for more than 50 years and ensures that the surface freeway route is off the table,” a communiqué from the City of South Pasadena said Monday, referring to the fact that the new law precludes the surface freeway route as an option in state environmental documents about the 710 project. 

“We have long recognized just how important these homes are to our local communities,” the city’s communiqué quoted Liu as saying. “It is now time to move these properties out of state ownership and place them back in the private market and into the hands of citizens.”

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Representatives from the City of Los Angeles and Pasadena will join South Pasadena in thanking Liu for her efforts, the communiqué said.

Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), who co-authored SB 416, is scheduled to be present at the news conference, according to his media representative Wendy Gordon.

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“This bill is very important to the citizens of South Pasadena,” Mayor Richard Schneider said in a statement included in the city’s communiqué, which follows a letter of gratitude that South Pasadena sent to Liu earlier this month. “It returns the properties back to private/home ownership and takes Caltrans out of the ‘landlord’ business.”

The news conference, which is open to the public, will be held at 3 p.m. at 1110 Glendon Way, in one of the residential properties Caltrans owns and will now be selling off. For inquiries, call the city manager’s office at (626) 403-7210.


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