Ben Tansey
Ben Tansey is a journalist and author. He grew up in the South Bay and is a graduate of Evergreen State College. He worked in Washington State as a reporter in a rural timber community and for many years as an editor for a Western electric energy policy publication based in Seattle.
UPDATE: Caltrans Confirms Approval of 710 ROD | Decision to Trigger $300 Million in...
Caltrans’ long-awaited formal approval this week of its decision foregoing a tunnel to complete the SR-710 “gap” between Alhambra and Pasadena marks another milestone...
20 YEARS | The Injunction that Stopped 710 Freeway
An important milestone came and went July 19, 2019. It was the day, twenty years ago, when Judge Dean D. Pregerson of the US...
Caltrans Fails to Meet Environmental Compliance Targets
In the latest review of its federal environmental law enforcement responsibilities, Caltrans failed to meet a third of the performance goals it set out...
CalTrans Housing Advocates Say Closing out NEPA is an Opportunity
The City of South Pasadena and allied cities and groups have a window of opportunity “to gain some control” over the sale and preservation...
SCE & CPA Ongoing Billing Problems | 100,000+ Customers Billed Wrong
The first half of the year was an exciting time for the Clean Power Alliance. The infant customer choice aggregator (CCA) was establishing itself...
City Council | Voters to Decide if City Clerk Should be Appointed
The South Pasadena City Council on Wednesday night voted to place a measure on November’s ballot asking voters to decide if the office of...
Clean Power Alliance Signs Deals for Renewable Energy in Southern California
The Clean Power Alliance community choice aggregator (CCA) announced its board authorized two long-term power purchase agreements for 273 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity....
Fireworks Ruled Out as Cause of July 4 Double House Fire
One hundred thousand dollars is the South Pasadena Fire Department’s conservative preliminary estimate for the damage done by a 4th of July fire at...
710 Freeway Fighters Leave Lasting Legacy
Every few miles along the drive up the Long Beach Freeway, cars pass underneath huge, green highway signs that span the roadway’s lanes: “Interstate...
Sales Tax Increase Will Go on the Ballot for South Pasadena
South Pasadena City Council members voted unanimously Wednesday night to declare a “fiscal emergency” and place a 0.75 percent sales tax on the November...
Bringing Home the Bacon | Mahmud Dogs County on Measure W Rules
It’s a small, obscure provision buried deep in a draft of a county public works ordinance. But it could affect how much South Pasadena...
“No on 710” | Honored 710 Freeway Fighters Share Compelling Stories
A large crowd turned out June 7 in the South Pasadena Library’s community room to honor the 710 Freeway Fighters, the energetic group of...
Dispute Over Tree Removal Goes to City Council
After what will likely be a lengthy meeting on the new budget, updated capital improvement program and a bevy of routine city business, the...
South Pasadena Watermaster | Drought Still Driving Water Rate Increases
The ongoing need to replenish the San Gabriel Valley aquifer in the aftermath of the drought continues to drive enormous spikes in water rates....
Tuesday May 28 | Public Comment Deadline for Rule on 710 Property Sales
Today is the last day that citizens have to comment on an “emergency rulemaking” process initiated by Caltrans. It’s at least the second time...
Senate OKs Bill on 710 Non-Profit Sales, Rent Increase Prohibition and Tunnel
The California State Senate on Wednesday, May 22 passed Senate Bill 7, putting the “formal legislative end” to the 710 Freeway extension by prohibiting...
House Fire in Alhambra | Residence Destroyed
At approximately 10:37 a.m. this morning multiple engines responded to a residential fire on the 2400 block of El Paseo in Alhambra.
According to neighbors...
A Rich Tapestry of Historical Churches | SPPF ‘Architecture of Faith’
Tours of churches are standard fare on trips to Europe. Domestically, the activity is decidedly less common, though you can take bus tours of...
City Council | Council Directs Staff to Prepare Sales Tax for Ballot
South Pasadena City Council members formally gave the go-ahead Wednesday for staff to begin work to place a sales tax proposal on the city’s...
City Council | South Pasadena to Open Hearing on $28.6 Million Budget
South Pasadena’s revenue-challenged $28.6 million city budget will be on the agenda tonight as the city council opens a public hearing and begins discussing...
City Council | Members Approve Big Surge in Development Fees for South Pasadena
Dozens of development fees charged by South Pasadena’s Planning Department will rise dramatically July 1 under a resolution approved by the City Council May...
Big Lots Update | Lessor Working to Find New Tenant by Winter
Now that Big Lots has announced its move to the old Toys R Us building in Alhambra, the owner of the property at 1401...
City Council | Curtain Won’t Close on South Pasadena Minimum Wage Proposal
Just as they did at their meeting two weeks ago, South Pasadena city councilmembers last night voted not to amend the city’s strategic plan...
City Council | South Pasadena to Consider Fee Increases and Approve Spending for Public...
South Pasadena City Council members tonight will hold a public hearing on a new master fee schedule. The change will increase annual revenue by...
SPUSD | Board gets SEL Update, Seeks Program Monitoring Data
Efforts to integrate social-emotional learning (SEL) strategies in South Pasadena public schools are expanding, and school board members are interested in how the effects...
City Council | Council Adopts Strategic Plan Without Minimum Wage Objective
South Pasadena city councilmembers unanimously turned aside vocal demands to adopt an accelerated minimum wage schedule for the city after an emotional and at...
SPUSD | School Board Gets First Crack at Land Swap Objectives
Eying formal presentations with the city in coming weeks, South Pasadena Unified School Board Superintendent Geoff Yantz on Tuesday unveiled a draft set of...
