HURRAY FOR HOLLYWOOD!
through the streets of South Pasadena, in southern California, it’s easy to believe you’re on a film set. So it’s no surprise that the city is a popular movie location: examples include The Terminator, , Halloween, American Pie and . We asked City Manager John Davidson why South Pasadena was such a favorite with Hollywood producers:


John Davidson
(Standard American accent)

I think it’s popular for a couple of reasons. One, you know, we go back to the homes, the trees, some of the wide streets that you might see. On top of that, it is,

from a filming standpoint

, it’s rather close to Hollywood. So you can get over to Hollywood pretty quickly from here, to the west side. And

it makes economic sense for them

, as opposed to... having to travel for days, or extended trips. We’re relatively close to the downtown area, but you don’t feel it.

We’re ten minutes away but you’d never know it

.

Another characteristic of South Pasadena is the relative absence of traffic. As John Davidson explains, residents have managed to defend their community from the horrors of urban development:

John Davidson:

The people in South Pasadena had a vision. And they recognised that we’re... not going to fall, in the way that so many other communities have, to where they were going

to allow developers to drive what the community looks like

, versus the community will drive what the developers are going to be allowed to do. So I’m going to say it’s been a combination of citizen involvement, good government and selective projects being, you know, processed and the ability to say yes, but also the ability to say no. It’s a community that recognized a long time ago that our schools are important, and we have wonderful schools here, they’re just incredible, but they’ve also recognized that, no, it’s not going to happen here in South Pas, where they’re preserving the past and, you know, and they’re also proactive in looking at the future.

South Pasadena is just 10 miles from the hyperactivity of Downtown Los Angeles, but, with its quiet streets, tall trees and friendly atmosphere, it seems like a different world. South Pasadena, a city on the east side of Los Angeles, is home to a , a and the first in the United States. Farmers from the area at the Farmer’s Market every Thursday to sell their while local artists provide free entertainment. Residents and visitors at all times of the day admiring the characteristic homes and historical buildings. Shoppers visit the many boutiques, . And nature lovers go to the local parks, forests and gardens to cycle, or just lie on the grass on a warm sunny afternoon.

TRAFFIC-FREE
But that isn’t all. Another thing that makes South Pasadena so is that it is relatively free of traffic. This is thanks to the community’s refusal to allow city planners to build a through their community. Now planners are considering building a freeway under the city instead.
John Davidson is the City Manager of South Pasadena and he has lived in the area all his life. As he explains in the interview, the residents of “South Pas” are very proud of their city, while tourists love visiting it.