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.
Al Fresco Dining Barricades ‘K-Rails’ Installed on Mission Street
Concrete k-rails started going up Thursday morning along portions of Mission Street between Meridian and Fair Oaks Aves. as the city rolled out Phase...
CITY COUNCIL SOUTH PASADENA | 10 City Employees Offered ‘Early Retirement’
The South Pasadena City Council on Wednesday authorized its staff to prepare a program of retirement incentives known as “Golden Handshakes” under which ten...
South Pasadena City Council | Stephen Rossi Selected for District 2 Seat
Stephen Rossi, a corporate finance expert whose unsolicited report showing $14 million in discrepancies in South Pasadena’s proposed 2020-21 budget documents sent a lightning...
City Council Vacancy Applicants | Here Are the 5 Up for Consideration
Three attorneys, an astrophysicist and a business finance expert have submitted applications to serve-out the final seven weeks of the District 2 South Pasadena...
City Quickly Puts Schedule Back as Voted Upon | Empty Council Seat Process...
The City of South Pasadena on Monday belatedly released the names of applicants who will be considered to fill the remaining term of District...
City Fails to Keep Timeline Commitment to Residents | Questions About Empty District 2...
Despite promises to do so, the city of South Pasadena on Saturday failed to provide the list of the candidates from which the City...
Seven Patios | Mixed Style & Use Complex Heads to Planning Commission
At an imminent but as yet unscheduled “special meeting,” the South Pasadena Planning Commission will be asked for the third time this year to...
Marina Khubesrian’s Resignation Received & Filed | City Council Moving Fast to Appoint Replacement
South Pasadena is taking applications for candidates interested in an appointment to serve out the remaining term of Dr. Marina Khubesrian, the Second District...
Audit Promised Before Elections | South Pasadena Finance Issues
Citizens of South Pasadena will have about a month to pore over the city’s much delayed 2018-19 financial audit before voting on whether to...
Historic Resignation: Marina Khubesrian First to Happen in 61 Years for South Pasadena
Resignations from the South Pasadena City Council are rare.
When Dr. Marina Khubesrian submitted hers Saturday, not only was she the first woman to do...
PREVIEW UPDATE: City Special Meeting Wednesday | Council Discusses Filling Khubesrian Seat After Resignation
NOTE FROM THE CITY OF SOUTH PASADENA:
Council Meeting August 19th, 2020 Will Not be Available on Time Warner Cable Channel 19 and AT&T Channel...
Marina Khubesrian Admits to Fraudulent E-mails | South Pasadena Councilwoman Resigns
“I alone was responsible for sending the emails from two email accounts using fictitious names in May and June this year,” South Pasadena City...
Donovan Poised to Replace Khubesrian | Candidates Drop Out of City Council Race
With two prospective candidates formally pulling out Wednesday, John (Jack) Donovan’s quest to succeed Dr. Marina Khubesrian as the Second District’s representative on the...
City Demands Finance Report | Audit Now Anticipated Before Budget Deadline
South Pasadena City Manager Stephanie DeWolfe on Aug. 5 vowed to comply with the City Council’s direction not to resume work on the city’s...
LA District Attorney Investigating Fake Email Allegation | Khubesrian Condemns Cyber Bullying
The City of South Pasadena on Monday asked the LA District Attorney’s Public Integrity Division to review a citizen complaint that District 2 Councilmember...
Permanent UUT Goes to Ballot | Council Nixes Hotel Tax, & Defers Height Limit...
South Pasadena voters will be asked to make permanent the city’s 7.5 percent utility users tax Nov. 3, but will not -- at least...
Strange Emails Sent to City Council | Veiled Threats to Cacciotti
Last May, South Pasadena Councilman Michael Cacciotti got what he describes as the “most unusual” email he’s ever received in his nearly twenty years...
EXCLUSIVE: Wrongfully Terminated 26-Year SPPD Officer Denied Apology & Honors
Former South Pasadena police officer Timothy Patrick Green says the city owes him and his family an apology. His case is persuasive. According to...
SPUSD Sells its Historic Building | A ‘Monumental Moment’ Says Superintendent Geoff Yantz
The South Pasadena Unified School District has unanimously authorized its superintendent to sign a 21-page agreement under which it will sell its historic headquarter...
Planning Commission | Members Recommend Against Building Height Measure
In a decision that is bound to complicate life for the Planning Department, the city’s Planning Commission during a special meeting Tuesday voted unanimously...
Meridian Ave Traffic Issues Addressed | Transportation Commission Forwards Recommendation
Members of the city’s Mobility, Transportation and Infrastructure Commission on Tuesday heard dozens of public comments attesting to the traffic carnage they have witnessed...
2020 South Pasadena Elections | Twelve Candidates Pull Papers for City Council, School Board
It appears South Pasadena’s 17,414 registered voters will have three competitive city council races to vote on this November. Since prospective candidates began pulling...
City Council Recap | Items Discussed: November Ballot Issues, Building Height, UUT Renewal, Hotel...
South Pasadena City Council members this week discussed the pros and cons of a set of prospective ballot measures for this November. Decisions on...
South Pasadena Unions | Negotiations Continue for Cost of Living Adjustments
The City of South Pasadena on July 1 went forward with a two percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for members of four employee unions, the...
City Budget | Activist Panel Pushes Priorities for 2020-21 Fiscal Year
A new community group has released recommendations for changes to South Pasadena’s $45 million 2020-2021 municipal budget. The South Pasadena Community Needs-Based Budget Task...
ARRESTED | Suspect Who Accosted & Spit on Protestors Was Put in Custody, Then...
South Pasadena police on Friday evening arrested Joe Richcreek, 56, who was recorded on video spitting at two Black Lives Matter demonstrators two days...
Millions of Dollars in ‘PPP’ COVID-19 Relief Awarded to many South Pasadena Businesses
A total of 636 South Pasadena companies received federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds totaling between $40.6 million and $71.8 million, helping to preserve several...
City Municipal Elections | Council Formally Announces Stipulations
Three of South Pasadena’s five city council seats will be up for grabs during the general municipal election to be held Nov. 3,...
Council Adopts Provisional Budget | Finance Department Receives $80,000 to Clean Up Books
The South Pasadena City Council on June 24 voted unanimously to adopt what City Manager Stephanie DeWolfe said amounts to “a budget that does...
Vanessa Marquez | Wrongful Death Claim Filed Over South Pasadena Police Shooting of Actress
Friends, colleagues and supporters of the late actress Vanessa Marquez came to South Pasadena Wednesday to announce the filing a wrongful death action over...
