Be The Change

I come from a long line of strong women including my maternal grandmother who worked as a “Rosie the Riveter” during WWII and my mother who was a “women’s libber” back in the day. My mom did it all; she worked, she volunteered and she cared for us, which wasn’t always easy but she persevered. She taught me that I could do anything I wanted to do and be anything I wanted to be. I found her advice both encouraging and overwhelming.

My mom also told me many times that if she hadn’t had three young children during the 1960s she would have marched in the streets with the hippies. Those were turbulent times and she wanted to exercise her right as an American and have her voice heard. She was just mom to me.

When I was grown, my mom and I became political opposites but I knew that “call to action” was in my blood. Once I had direction and found my own strength, I looked beyond myself to see how I could affect change on a larger scale.

Ten years ago, I heard about a freeway proposal to connect the 710 Freeway from Long Beach to the 210 Freeway in Pasadena. Somehow, I had missed this plan, its roots by then 60 years in the making. I found myself outraged and felt compelled to do something about it. I immediately joined the “freeway fighters” and spent my spare time attending public meetings, learning about tunneling and writing for the cause. The closest I got to marching in the streets like my mom wanted to do was holding a “NO 710” sign in the South Pasadena Festival of Balloons parade but my career as a community activist was born.

Since then, I have learned so much about how the world really works that I almost wish I could take a pill and go back to a time where I was naïve about such things. But I am in it and have come to terms with the fact that sometimes you win the fight, but most of the time you don’t. I am delighted that the 710 tunnel will not be built and bring more noise and pollution to our region but it will still be a long road for the tenants who live in the dilapidated Caltrans-owned houses who only want to own them. The battle continues.

I was proud to be part of a group of community leaders who served on the advisory group for the North Glendale Community Plan. It was adopted in 2011.  One of the key achievements from the plan was the decision by the Glendale City Council to lower building height limits on Foothill Boulevard from 50 to 35 feet, similar to the other jurisdictions in the corridor. Our team was happy that future development in the Glendale portion of La Crescenta wouldn’t further obstruct our beautiful mountain views. However, state legislation is currently pending that would wipe out local control and we could soon see six-story buildings throughout the area on Foothill, Honolulu and Verdugo.

The Welcome to Glendale signs were a concept that also came out of the North Glendale plan and we all know how that worked out. After repeated accidents, the Glendale City Council has decided that they will not be replaced.

It can be very frustrating to be in involved when you feel the decisions made do not benefit the community. In the case of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course and Rockhaven properties, community participation has made little difference in where the projects are today. Additionally, more housing projects are being approved that destroy history and give developers concessions beyond what is reasonable.

This Independence Day, I declare that I will continue to challenge these decisions. It’s in my genes.

Susan Bolan

susanbolan710@gmail.com

  Susan BOLAN