Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 15, 2010

are moving forward in our 
goal to resume our role in 
producing exciting theatre for 
Pasadena and the surrounding 
communities.” 

 When the 684-seat theater 
went dark Feb 7, Eich said 
they owned $2 million in 
debt including $500,000 in 
bills and $1.5 million in bank 
loans. All 37 employees were 
also laid off including himself. 

 He said Tuesday there will 
be a statement issued to 
subscribers which describes 
how the Playhouse is going to honor all 2010 subscriptions.

 Bogaard said the building, which is on National Register of Historic Places, is owned 
by a private party. That includes the five story tower and restaurant space, he explained.


“There is a perpetual lease in favor of the city,” he said. “That gives the city control over 
the theater, the dressing rooms, and certain other spaces 
that support the operations of the Playhouse.” He also said 
they are given reciprocal rights to use the terrace out front 
for events. The city subleases the theater area to the Pasadena 
Playhouse State Theatre of California, Inc. 


4

Mountain Views News Saturday, May 15, 2010

Council to Discuss Arizona Law 

Panel discusses State 
Early Release Program

Rose Bowl 
to Hold Free 
Games, 
Tours, Field 
Play


By Dean Lee

Councilmember Victor Gordo 
officially asked Monday night 
to agendize consideration of 
possible action in regard to 
Arizona’s new law relating to 
the enforcement of federal 
immigration laws. The issue will 
be heard at the council’s next 
meeting Monday night.

Although the city staff report 
does not recommend any action 
it does include information on a 
resent Los Angeles city council 
resolution, passed Wednesday, 
banning city travel and to end 
all future contracts with the 
state until the law is repealed. 
L.A.’s resolution also looks at 
weather millions in existing 
contracts can be broken.

The Pasadena city council 
had discussed the issue of SB 
1070 briefly last month after a 
number of people brought it up, 
including the ACLU. 

During public comment April 
26, a number of residents, some 
speaking in Spanish, asked the 
council to stand up and defend 
the civil rights of all people in 
the United States 

 

“We want Pasadena to stay 
what it is, and not become what 
Arizona has become in the last 
few days,” “That we want to 
hold up the same respect and 
admiration for the leaders of 
our city.” 

Others had harsh words for 
Arizona’s law, making it a 
state crime of trespassing to 
be on any public property in 
the state without proof of U.S. 
citizenship. The law requires 
local law enforcement to hand 
over those found in violation to 
federal border patrol agents. 

“Just days after Arizona passed 
SB 1070, a despicable law fueled 
by the politics of race, fear and 
entitlement,” said another long 
time Pasadena resident. “I feel 
compelled to take a stand for 
someone who has the privilege 
of working with Pasadena’s 
vibrant Latino immigrant 
community.”

Connie Rey Castro, representing 
the ACLU Foothills Chapter, 
read a letter on behalf of 
ACLU Chair of Police Practice 
Committee Martin Gordon, 
“It is clear that it is not in the 
best interest of our community 
to have the police act in the 
capacity of immigration agents,” 
part of the letter read. Castro 
also said that the Pasadena 
police should be commended 
on its position on immigration 
rights. 

Mayor Bill Borgaard asked the 
city clerk to look up any past 
actions the city had taken on 
immigration and report back to 
them. 

No one at the meeting defended 
the Arizona law. 

In related news

Reports also say that Arizona’s 
law could potentially hurt the 
U.S. chances of hosting the 2018 
or 2022 World Cup. Eighteen 
sites in the U.S., including Los 
Angeles, are being looked at by 
the Fédération Internationale 
de Football Association (FIFA). 
Officials said the sticking point 
comes from the University of 
Phoenix Stadium being one 
of the 18 sites putting the U.S. 
Soccer Federation and the USA 
Bid Committee in an awkward 
situation. If Los Angeles were 
to win the World Cup bid the 
Rose Bowl could again host the 
game. In 1994 the stadium was 
the site for the World Cup finals 
in which Brazil won over Italy.

Community leaders were 
hopeful Thursday night they 
could dispel some of the myths 
surrounding the state’s prison 
early release program that, as 
of January, started releasing 
nonviolent prisoners without 
supervised parole. 

 A panel that included, interim 
Police Chief Christopher 
Vicino, the Flintridge 
Operating Company and The 
National Organization of Black 
Law Enforcement Executives, 
discussed current programs 
and strategies.

Vicino said about 80 people 
monthly are released back 
into the Pasadena community 
from the state’s prisons. He was 
praised by the panel for calling 
them “Pasadena Citizens.” 

Michelle Woods of California 
Department of Corrections and 
Rehabilitation said about 20,000 
ex-convicts will be placed on 
“non-revocable parole.” 

David Lewis representing 
the Free at Last and a self 
proclaimed convict said all the 
help needed was in the room. 

He said being released from 
prison is a traumatic event 
suggesting the solution was not 
to have parolees fall back into 
their old ways.

Brian Biery from the Flintridge 
Operating Company explained 
there were three key issues they 
needed to be focused on. He 
gave credit to Michelle Woods 
of California Department of 
Corrections and Rehabilitation, 
who was also a panelist, for 
coming up with them.

Substance abuse was number 
one he said, 90 percent of those 
arrested have a drug or alcohol 
problem. Second was literacy. 
Vicino also said there was a 
direct link between education 
and crime. Third Biery said was 
jobs. He made a plea for people 
in the city to help. 

Vicino also said he was meeting 
with State Senator Carol Liu 
Friday about early release 
and unsupervised nonviolent 
offenders. 


The Rose Bowl Stadium will 
open there gates to the public 
for free games and tours on 
Sunday, from noon to 3 p.m., 
Organizers say this will be 
an extraordinary day for the 
Pasadena community. 

Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard 
will welcome people of all 
ages to play games with 
friends and family on the 
stadium field, and foosball 
and video games in the home 
locker room. 

The gates will open at 
11:30 a.m. with fun in the 
Courtyard of Champions: 
Play the basketball challenge 
and bungee basketball, enjoy 
hot dogs and soft drinks 
($1 each) and visit with the 
Pasadena Humane Society 
and their adoptive pets. This 
will also be the starting point 
of a tour led by Pasadena 
Heritage that will include 
fascinating facts and history, 
with a final stop at the Press 
Box where proposed plans 
for renovating the iconic 
stadium will be displayed. 

Starting at noon, there will 
be plenty of fun on the field: 
sport bounce houses, soccer 
challenge, Galaxy inflatable, 
field goal kicking contests, 
quarterback challenge, 
fitness challenge, spring 
training obstacle course, pop 
fly batting skills and speed 
pitch for accuracy. 

The games and activities will 
be emceed by Magic Castle 
standup comedian Robert 
Baxt and former Pasadena 
City College football coach 
Harvey Hyde. Throughout 
the day see the fun up on the 
Jumbotron screens. 

At 2:45 p.m. Bogaard will 
host a brief program that will 
include a short video of Rose 
Bowl history and highlights. 

RSVP at www.
rosebowlstadium.com/
games or call (626) 577-3100.

Meeting to Provide Update 
on Merger of Northwest 
Redevelopment Project Areas


Playhouse 
Bankruptcy

(continued from page 1)

A proposal to merge the 
five Northwest Pasadena 
redevelopment project areas 
will be the focus of a community 
meeting Thursday, May 27, at 
6:30 p.m. at Jackie Robinson 
Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave. 
in Pasadena .

 

The Orange Grove, Lincoln 
Avenue , Fair Oaks Avenue , 
Lake/Washington and Villa-
Parke redevelopment project 
areas encompass portions of 
City Council Districts 1, 2, 3 
and 5. 

 

The Northwest Programs 
Division of the Pasadena 
Planning and Development 
Department is preparing a plan 
for the proposed merger.

 

If approved by the Pasadena 
City Council in October 2010, 
the merger would combine tax 
increment revenue from the five 
areas into one funding source 
for all of Northwest Pasadena .

 

Tax increment funding, 
generated from increases in 
assessed property valuation in 
a redevelopment project area, is 
used to create jobs, rehabilitate 
properties, stimulate private 
business and attract investment.

 

To view a map of the five 
redevelopment project areas, 
visit www.cityofpasadena.
net/ northwest and click on 
Northwest Program Maps. 

 

For more information and 
to receive alerts about future 
community meetings related 
to the proposed merger, email 
vgonzalez@cityofpasadena.net 
or call (626) 744-4791.

Antonovich Calls 
‘Sacramento’s 
Reckless’

In anticipation of the Governor’s 
May Revise budget, Supervisor 
Michael D. Antonovich called 
on Governor Schwarzenegger 
and the state legislature to “wake 
up and face fiscal reality.” “The 
wheel is turning but the hamster 
is dead,” he said. 

 “ Sacramento ’s addiction to 
reckless spending and one-night 
stands with vested interests 
have created multi-billion dollar 
budget deficits and an exodus of 
jobs.

 We must stop the reckless tax 
and spend behavior that led to 
this crisis. We can’t start down 
the road to recovery without fiscal 
discipline and structural reform. 
The lame excuse that the 2/3 vote 
requirement to pass a budget 
or raise taxes is to blame -- “the 
standard Sacramento line” -- is 
nonsense. California has some 
of the highest income, sales and 
business taxes in the nation. 

 The other excuse -- that Prop. 13 
created this problem by reducing 
revenues is also nonsense. 
Property tax revenues increased 
600% from 1981 to 2007 ($6.4 
billion to $43 billion) -- far 
higher than the combined rate of 
population growth and inflation 
over the same period.”

NASA Funds Museum Exhibits 
and Planetarium Shows

Become Water-Wise At the H2o 
Academy May 15 or June 12

 Innovative planetarium 
shows and traveling 
museum exhibits are among 
nine projects NASA has 
selected to receive agency 
funding this year. NASA’s 
Competitive Program for 
Science Museums and 
Planetariums will provide 
$7 million in grants to 
enhance educational 
outreach related to space 
exploration, aeronautics, 
space science, Earth science 
and microgravity.

 Organizations will partner 
with NASA’s Museum 
Alliance, an Internet-based, 
national network of more 
than 400 science and nature 
centers, planetariums, 
museums, aquariums, zoos 
and related organizations. 
The projects will engage 
the public and educators 
by providing NASA-
inspired space, science, 
technology, engineering 
and mathematics learning 
opportunities.

 JPL leads the Museum 
Alliance for NASA.

This year’s grants to 
nine informal education 
providers range from 
approximately $177,000 
to $1.25 million and have 
a maximum five-year 
performance period. The 
projects are located in 
Arizona, Connecticut, 
Indiana, Louisiana, 
Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, 
Utah and Washington. The 
selected projects will work 
with NASA’s Shared Services 
Center in Mississippi to 
complete the business 
review necessary before a 
NASA award is issued.

 

“Science centers and 
planetariums contribute 
significantly to engaging 
people of all ages in science, 
technology, engineering 
and math,” said James 
Stofan, acting associate 
administrator for NASA’s 
Office of Education. “NASA 
wants to give the informal 
education community access 
to a variety of agency staff 
and resources while offering 
professional development 
opportunities for informal 
science educators 
and encouraging the 
formation of collaborative 
partnerships.”

 

The California Institute of 
Technology manages JPL for 
NASA. More information 
about the Museum Alliance 
is online at: http://informal.
jpl.nasa.gov/museum. 

Feeling confused by all the 
news about California’s 
water woes? 

Don’t let the water shortage 
outsmart you; get water-wise 
at the free H2O Academy! 
There are two opportunities 
for Pasadena Water and 
Power customers: Saturday, 
May 15, and Saturday, June 
12, from 9 a.m. to noon 
at the Salvation Army 
Tabernacle, 960 E. Walnut 
St. in Pasadena. 

Experts in water 
conservation and efficient 
irrigation will share their 
wisdom during this four-
hour seminar. 

Topics will include: 

• Top 10 ways to save water 
and money indoors and 
out 

• How to do a home water 
audit and compare yours 
to average and efficient 
homes 

• How much water is right 
for your landscaping 

• How to keep your 
landscaping healthy 
through hot summers and 
changing seasons 

• How to check for leaks 
and what to do if you find 
one 

• How to understand your 
water bill 

• Which water-wise 
alternatives to traditional 
landscaping work best for 
Pasadena’s climate 

Attendees will also receive 
a free water-saver kit ($40 
value) and a chance to win a 
“smart” irrigation controller 
($400 value). 

Registration is required at 
www.cityofpasadena.net/
savewater or (626) 744-3715.

Pet of the 
Week

 
Persimmon, a gorgeous, 
two-year-old red tabby 
cat is looking for a new 
home. He is calm, very 
friendly and loves attention. 
Persimmon will be a 
wonderful companion and 
would be perfect in an 
apartment or condo that 
allows pets. Come visit with 
this beautiful cat today!

 

The regular cat adoption 
fee is $70 which includes 
the spay or neuter surgery, 
microchip, vaccinations, 
and a free follow-up health 
check at a participating vet.

 

Please call 626-792-7151 
and ask about A267855 
or come to the Pasadena 
Humane Society & SPCA, 
361 S. Raymond Ave , 
Pasadena CA , 91105 . 
Our adoption hours are 
11-3 Sunday, 9-4 Tuesday, 
Wednesday, Thursday, and 
Friday, and 9-3 Saturday. 
Directions and photos of 
all pets updated hourly 
may be found at www.
pasadenahumane.org

Bike Week Pasadena Rolls Into Town 

 Explore Pasadena in a whole 
new way during Bike Week 
Pasadena, May 20 - 22, 2010. 
This celebration of bicycling 
offers something for everyone 
-- from the bicycle novice and 
commuter, to the recreational 
and family rider. The City 
of Pasadena, Department of 
Transportation and one of Los 
Angeles County’s premiere 
bicycle nonprofits, C.I.C.L.E., 
come together to host the 
annual event, now in its 4th 
year.

 In collaboration with National 
Bike to Work Day, Thursday 
kicks off the Bike Week Pasadena 
festivities with a Bike to Work 
Day pit stop at the Shops on 
South Lake from 2:00 PM - 4:00 
PM. Grab your helmet, bike and 
pedal down to meet and greet 
with other cycling commuters 
in Pasadena on this special 
afternoon commending new 
and existing bicycle commuters 
for their pedal-powered efforts. 
That evening at 5:30 PM, join 
Pasadena history experts at the 
Pasadena Museum of History 
for an intriguing talk on 
Pasadena’s rich roots in bicycle 
culture. Pasadena and the 
Bicycle: A Historical Romance 
brings to light some of the 
great mysteries of the Dobbins 
Cycleway and much more.

 Friday, May 21, dust off your 
old cruiser bike and hop on 
board this bicycle tour as many 
other Pasadena bike riders meet 
at One Colorado shopping 
courtyard at 6:00 PM for the 
start of the Pasadena Crosstown 
Bicycle Ride. Touring many of 
Pasadena’s districts, this casual 
stroll of our lovely city will leave 
you wanting more. This bicycle 
ride ends back at the One 
Colorado courtyard for the 2nd 
Annual Pedal Party, starting at 
9:00 PM, featuring live music, 
silent auction, refreshments and 
libations, bike films and more!

 Also on Friday evening, 
while the Pasadena Crosstown 
Ride drifts off into the sunset, 
Pasadena Cyclery will host an 
“Intro to Biking” workshop in 
the One Colorado Courtyard at 
7:00 PM to go over some of the 
basics of the products and gear 
needed to start your bicycle 
lifestyle.

 Saturday, May 22 is Family 
and Bikes Day at Pasadena’s 
Central Park from 10:00 AM - 
2:00 PM. Join other enthused 
cyclists on this day dedicated to 
growing the bicycle as a healthy 
transportation choice for all. 
On this bike-centric afternoon, 
you’ll find exhibitors displaying 
the best in family and children’s 
biking gear and products as 
well as live music, face painting, 
workshops and more!

 For the complete calendar and 
sponsorship opportunities, visit 
www.cicle.org.

Don’t Just Be a Blogger, 
Be A Citizen Journalist

 Get hands-on multimedia 
journalism training! What 
makes news? Is it better to use 
a video instead of a still photo? 
How can I get this story out?

 Pasadena Community 
Network and this newspaper 
are holding a seminar on 
Citizen Journalism. Putting 
the news in your hands. Learn 
how to find the story, the tools 
needed to capture the story 
and the means to tell the story 
using the power of video, 
audio and print along with the 
internet. Free orientation. 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com