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.
City Council Preview: June 24 | Finance Staff Requests Budget Delay, $80,000 to Clean...
South Pasadena city staff want the City Council to hold off adopting the new $45 million 2020-2021 budget for two months or “until the...
Finance Commission Recommends Budget Delay Pending Audit
Struggling to weigh public confidence against administrative risk, the South Pasadena Finance Commission on Thursday voted to recommend the City Council delay adoption of...
Finance Commission | Disclosure Questions Raised
South Pasadena’s Finance Commission will hold a special meeting Thursday morning to consider whether to affirm its May 26 recommendation to the City Council...
City Council Report | Finance Clarity Still a Serious Concern
During the course of what was easily its longest public meeting this year, the South Pasadena City Council on Wednesday acted to allow its...
City Finance Problems | Credentialed Finance Experts Cross-Examination of the Betta Report
Former South Pasadena Finance Director Josh Betta started a firestorm last week when he released his 56-page critique of the city’s proposed 2020-2021 budget....
STOPPED: SPPD ends ‘Carotid Restraint’ (Sleeper Hold) & Reports No Arrests as Protests Continue
South Pasadena police will no longer use the “carotid restraint control hold” as one of its authorized use of force techniques, the city...
Proposed South Pasadena Budget “Astonishingly Incomplete,” Ex Finance Director Warns
A former South Pasadena finance director whose trademark combines a dramatic flair with a sharp eye for detail has a warning for the city:...
City of South Pasadena Loses Appeal in Multimillion Dollar Discrimination Case
The California Court of Appeal on June 1 rejected every claim of trial error raised by the City of South Pasadena in its appeal...
Special City Council Meeting | Assemblymember Chris Holden Talks Budget & Caltrans Housing
In the latest of a series of updates from South Pasadena’s state and federal legislative representatives, Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-41) on Wednesday began with...
CITY: Special Finance Meeting | COVID-Adjusted Budget Proposal for South Pasadena
In record time and under strained circumstances, South Pasadena’s Finance Department assembled and on Tuesday won unanimous approval from the Finance Commission for a...
Mission Bell Project | Carpenter Union’s Appeal Denied
South Pasadena city council members Wednesday denied an appeal filed by the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters to the Feb. 11 approval granted by...
COVID Testing Sites | City Seeks to Ameliorate Access for South Pasadena
South Pasadena District 2 Council Member Dr. Marina Khubesrian has been concerned about the level of access to COVID-19 testing in South Pasadena. Earlier...
Mission Bell Project | Carpenters Union Appeals City’s Approval
The Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters is appealing the South Pasadena Planning Commission’s Feb. 11 certification of the final environmental impact report (FEIR) for...
Furloughs | City of South Pasadena
Over two-thirds of the City of South Pasadena’s 74 part-time employees will complete their third week without pay Friday with no word on when...
City Council Elections | Two Prominent Figures Run for Schneider’s Seat
Jon Primuth, an estate attorney currently closing out his first term on the South Pasadena School Board and Michelle Hammond, a former executive producer...
MUNCH COMPANY SOLD | Local Couple Buys Beloved Sandwich Shop
South Pasadena’s Munch Company sandwich shop on Mission Street changed hands this month. Outgoing owner Michelle Hammond, who has operated the friendly shop for...
Budget Crisis Kills Projects | City Hall Hotel Scrapped, School District Land Swap Still...
Due to “unforeseen budget issues,” the City of South Pasadena will not be moving forward with a controversial plan to explore the redevelopment of...
Furloughs Confirmed for Some City Employees
The City of South Pasadena on Thursday said it “furloughed” 52 non-essential part-time workers. The furlough officially began April 27 but the employees, who...
City Council Abandons Tenant Stipulation | Rental Advocates Score Win as City Seeks UUT...
In another marathon meeting Wednesday, the South Pasadena City Council rejected a plan to stiffen eligibility for coronavirus-inspired tenant eviction protections, ushered in a...
City Council Preview | Activists Blast ‘Sneak Attack’ on Eviction Provision
South Pasadena tenant advocates are incensed over a new provision the city intends to adopt tonight requiring tenants to provide substantial documentation, including medical...
Senator Portantino Briefs City Council on COVID-19 Priorities
During a special teleconference meeting of the South Pasadena City Council April 29, Senator Anthony Portantino (D-25th) accepted an invitation to brief city officials....
California Businesses | Stage 2 Reopening to Begin
Governor Newsom on Monday said the state can begin moving on Friday May 8 toward Stage 2 of his four-stage plan to reopen the...
Serial Arsonist Suspect Arrested by South Pasadena Police
A man attempting to start a brush fire near the 300 block of San Pascual Ave. was arrested early Sunday morning by South Pasadena...
PROJECT APPROVED: 2.6-Acre Spanish Colonial Revival project at 625 Fair Oaks
The South Pasadena Planning Commission on Wednesday approved the city’s single largest new development in 20 years, an upscale, 86-unit senior housing apartment complex...
COVID-19 Deaths in South Pasadena | 3 Confirmed out of 53 Cases
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on April 23 reported three COVID-19- related deaths in the City of South Pasadena, all at...
Special Finance Commission Meets | Staff Reductions Considered in Face of Budget Shortfalls
South Pasadena is projecting a $1.6 million shortfall in the budget year ending June 30 due to COVID-19 related reductions in sales tax and...
Local Music Legend Passes Away | Tim Fleming Remembered by Friends & Family
Tim Fleming, a 60-something South Pasadenan who departed this world overnight Sunday, was a local legend whose exceptional musical skill and loving personality are...
City Faces Major Issues | First South Pasadena Virtual City Council Meeting Gets Heated
“Tough challenges to a particular point of view, and criticism of ideas and information are legitimate elements of a free democracy,” according the Code...
Public Safety Commissioner Criticizes City’s COVID Communications Efforts
Public Safety Commissioner Alan Ehrlich on Monday complained at length about the city’s approach to communicating with citizens about its COVID-19 crisis activities and...
Public Safety Commission Meets Virtually | Fire Calls Rise as Police Calls Continue to...
The South Pasadena Public Safety Commission had its first meeting in four weeks Monday morning, with commissioners participating remotely from their homes via teleconference...
