Urgent: Save the South Pasadena Historical Museum—Act Now!

The City of South Pasadena Has Served An Eviction Letter to The Preservation Foundation on the basis of misinformation.

UPDATE: The City of South Pasadena Closed Session Council meeting was Wed. Sept. 4, 2024
Public comment before the session was given, and we’re awaiting the decisions made in the closed session.

125 written comments supporting the SPPF operation of the museum were received by the city and a matter of public record.
CLICK HERE to view the written public comments
Each line in the PDF is a clickable link to the actual email received by the city

The Eviction “Notice to Vacate” is still active as of now we must assume; there has been no communion yet from the city yet.
The City Attorney Report in the Open Session noted that there would be two
people from the city assigned to negotiate a possible lease.

CLICK HERE to take a poll about various city operations.
Conducted by The South Pasadenan News
It’s anonymous, and there is room for open comment at the end.
The results of this poll will be utilized to produced and direct interview questions back to City Council Candidates, and sitting Councilmembers soon.

---

Your action is urgently needed to protect an essential element of South Pasadena’s history and culture.

The South Pasadena Preservation Foundation (SPPF) was served notice by the City of South Pasadena to vacate the building that has housed the South Pasadena Historical Museum for 40 years.

A serious mistake has been made by the city attorney based on misinformation, but it can be corrected. We are responding to that notice, but now time is of the essence. This is a critical moment for our community.

The South Pasadena City Council is holding a closed-session meeting on Wednesday, September 4th to decide the museum’s future. We urge you to take immediate action to request and support the reinstatement of SPPF’s lease and retract the City’s eviction to ensure that the museum remains under the stewardship of those who have cared for it with dedication and integrity: the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation.

The basics of the situation:

Lease Agreement Confusion: The City wants to include new terms in SPPF’s lease to allow continued use of the museum for activities related to the Farmers Market. SPPF came to accept this provision in April after detailed discussions with staff. Misunderstandings about responsibilities, impact, and who would bear the costs, however, seem to have persisted without our knowledge.

Miscommunication and Misinformation: While SPPF was negotiating its lease, communication issues caused confusion among city staff and the City Council, leading to tension and a lack of trust. While staff were ready to send our proposed terms to the City Attorney in April, and the lease was heard in closed session several times between April and late July, we never received a revised copy of the lease or any questions about terms or other issues that the City may have objected to.

When we received the eviction notice, we had to ask why some of the complaints contained in the letter had not been verified with us. Some we heard for the first time and others were the result of miscommunication that could easily have been cleared up with a phone call or email before drastic action was taken.

Unexpected Eviction Notice: Despite SPPF’s efforts to clarify and resolve these issues, the City unexpectedly issued an eviction notice, which threatens to end SPPF’s 40-year role in preserving local history at the museum.

Community Impact: The eviction would deprive future generations of a valuable cultural and historical resource. As residents, we have become concerned about the lack of clarity and fairness in the decision-making process, and many others in the community share this concern.

Need for Cooperation and Transparency: SPPF remains committed to working positively with the City and all stakeholders to ensure that the museum continues to serve the community’s best interests.

What You Can Do:

Submit a Public Comment: Email your support for reinstating SPPF’s museum lease and opposition to the eviction to ccpubliccomment@southpasadenaca.gov by Wednesday, Sept. 4th by 11:00am.

Contact City Officials: Write to all South Pasadena City Councilmembers, the City Manager, and the Community Services Director, expressing your concerns and urging them to renew SPPF’s lease and retract the eviction.

Your voice can, and will, make a difference in preserving our city’s heritage and the tangible record of our history and memory that we have all built together.

Please act now to support SPPF and keep the South Pasadena Historical Museum in the hands of those who have protected it for decades and continue to drive the value of South Pasadena to future generations.

CLICK HERE to know more about SPPF and why this is so important to South Pasadena.

Thank you for your support.