The Eaton fire going from wildfire to devastating conflagration that leveled much of Altadena within hours has added to the urgency of managing wildland areas and controlling vegetation where the region’s natural resources meet residential neighborhoods.
Just a few miles away from what remains of Altadena sits Pasadena’s Arroyo Seco, where that brush and weed clearance work is a year-round priority.
For employees in the parks division, this work has become even closer to home after a handful of those who work in the Arroyo lost their homes in the Eaton fire.
“This is really close to home for our department,” said Jose Mireles, Arroyo Seco Superintendent for the city of Pasadena.
The Arroyo is protected parkland and open space in Pasadena, with 22 miles of trails. It’s also a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. It supports natural ecosystems including native plants and wildlife.
Mireles said the open space creates areas of overgrowth that can be home to wildlife like rattlesnakes and bobcats. The terrain is challenging for crews traversing rocky portions and places where the vegetation can be knee high.
“It’s a living thing that changes and fluctuates,” Mireles said.
Mireles’ team got some welcome news this week when the Pasadena City Council on Monday, Aug. 25, approved a five-year contract to not exceed $995,000 with Greenfield Management for weed and brush clearance work in the Arroyo Seco.
Mireles said because of the ever-changing nature of the Arroyo having consistency with one contractor will be beneficial to workers becoming familiar with the environment.
According to a city staff report, Pasadena has used contracted services since 1999 to carry out brush clearance work. Greenfield Management, based out of the City of Industry, will be responsible for clearing non-native vegetation, clearing debris from roads and trails, applying mulch in designated zones and collecting litter and debris.
Three-person crews will work Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., making their way through the Arroyo. Mireles said the process is not as simple as just mowing everything in their path.
“It’s not just mowing through everything that’s green, there’s things that we want to protect,” Mireles said. “California native plants and wildflowers, so that’s the nuances of working in the Arroyo. It’s not just bust through everything and cut everything down.”
Prior to the contract agreement, Greenfield Management had been the temporary contractor doing the work with a purchase order due to expire at the end of September.
Ronald Matthews, CEO and local hiring coordinator with RKM Construction, was the lone public speaker on the contract and asked the city to apply its local source hiring ordinance to this project.
“It keeps wages circulating locally, provides steady jobs and strengthens community resilience while advancing wildfire safety,” Matthews said. “Every contract matters. If we don’t enforce local hiring here then where will we and when will we?”
A similar concern about incorporating local hiring broke out a few months back when the City Council approved a major contract related to the Central Library Seismic Retrofit Project.
Assistant City Manager Matthew Hawkesworth said the first-source local hiring ordinance does not apply to these types of contracts. The ordinance itself would need to be changed to consider this type of work part of the ordinance.
Councilmember Rick Cole said he would vote for the contract but urged the City Council and members of city staff to look at how to integrate more local hiring in city projects like this one.
“I understand why hiring a company and then letting them find their own workforce is more convenient and comfortable and perhaps more cost effective in the short run,” Cole said. “But in the long run the mayor has articulated I think the incredible community value of using these kind of modest, entry level, lower skilled jobs as a ladder out of poverty and a ladder of opportunity for our local residents. You can’t put a price tag on that.”
In May, crews began in the Lower Arroyo and have been working their way north focusing on areas 200 feet from homes and 10 feet from roadways, Mireles said. They’ve made their way through the Lower Arroyo, to the areas around the Rose Bowl and are currently working toward Hahamongna Watershed Park and are just about at Devil’s Gate Dam.
Mireles estimated that crews are 60% of the way through the Arroyo from the starting point in May. However, getting all the way to 100% does not mean the job is done. Mireles said the work is done year-round.
“By the time we make it to one end it’s growing on the end that we started on,” Mireles said.
One difference this year is a drier winter resulted in less vegetation to clear than in past years. But it can fluctuate drastically year to year depending on rainfall. Mireles cited 2021 as a particularly wet winter that lasted into June.
“If you were working in any kind of capacity in horticulture or landscaping during that time you were at home watching your work grow,” Mireles said. “You could see it growing by the inch.”
In addition to the work of city employees and contracted workers, Mireles said the residential community plays a key role in the brush control effort. Residents should make sure the areas around their homes are cleared of debris, ensure irrigation systems are functioning properly and consider planting fire resistant vegetation around the home like California native plants.
“Having people engaged in the community and seeing the efforts that are going on I think will also bring a lot of ease to some of that anxiety to know that we are out there doing a lot of the work,” Mireles said.