Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 19, 2010

4


Mountain Views News Saturday, June 19, 2010

New Chief’s 
Salary to be 
Discussed 
Monday


Cordova Street to 
Be Placed On a Diet

 After a road diet, Pasadena 
cyclists and pedestrians are 
expected to feel safer riding 
bikes and crossing intersections, 
respectively, on Cordova Street 
between Mentor and Hill 
venues. 

 As a pilot project, Cordova 
Street will be put on a road diet, 
a term used when travel lanes 
are removed and the space is 
designated for other uses and 
travel modes.

 Using funds from the American 
Recovery and Reinvestment 
Act, the city of Pasadena will 
first repave that half-mile 
section of Cordova Street . 

 The road diet will consist of 
striping to make room for new 
bike lanes in both directions 
and better define existing curb 
parking. 

 The diet will also shorten 
the crossing distance for 
pedestrians at intersections by 
removing two lanes of traffic 
and adding painted curb 
extensions at intersections.

 If successful, the pilot project 
will be extended to Arroyo 
Parkway and permanent 
raised-curb extensions will be 
installed.

 “Pasadena is always looking 
for new ways to provide non-
vehicular alternative modes of 
travel to its citizens,” said city 
Transportation Director Fred 
Dock. “This project will serve 
the bicyclists traveling between 
the South Lake District and 
Pasadena City College , making 
it safer for pedestrians to cross 
at intersections and potentially 
reducing the driving speed of 
motorists.” 

 This part of Cordova Street 
was also repaved as part of 
a massive street resurfacing 
project that includes redoing 
more than 20 streets citywide 
including Colorado Blvd, Hill 
Street, Lake Ave, Michillinda 
Ave, Raymond Ave and Orange 
Grove Blvd among others. City 
staff said the project is costing 
more than $4 million most of 
which is federally funded. 

 For more information call 
(626) 744-7208. Plans for the 
restriping and information 
about road diets can be viewed 
at www.cityofpasadena.net/
transportation. 

The city council will take up 
the issue of just how much to 
pay newly hired Police Chief 
Phillip Sanchez Monday night. 
At issue will be to establish a 
salary control rate of $228,008 
annually for the position. 

According to city staff, “The 
salary paid to an individual 
employee is established 
at a rate reflecting his or 
her performance, subject 
to agreement between the 
employee [Sanchez] and the 
city manager [Michael Beck].”

The report goes no to say 
that the amount reflects the 
75th percentile of the city’s 
labor market of comparable 
California public agencies. 

The salary resolution will take 
effective July 13, two days after 
Sanchez is scheduled to take 
office.

The chief’s salary would 
be $23,508 more annually, 
including salary-related 
benefits according to city staff. 

Beck made the announcement 
Tuesday hiring Sanchez 
as Chief. The terms of his 
contract, including salary, 
were not made public at the 
time. City staff said he had not 
yet signed a contract.

Happy 124th Birthday Pasadena 


By Dean Lee 

 Who could resist a three foot high, replica 
of city hall, layered chocolate and vanilla 
cake with Irish butter cream in-between, 
not many, including the Mayor, as hundreds 
showed up Saturday for the city’s 124th big 
birthday bash.

 Mayor Bill Bogaard along with 
Councilmember Jacque Robinson cut the 
cake as part of the festivities at the Pasadena 
Museum of History. 

 Delano Robinson, sister-in-law of Hall of 
Fame baseball player Jackie Robinson was 
also on hand. She thanked everyone for 
showing their support of the city saying it 
was a beautiful celebration. 

 Bogaard explained the residents and 
businesses in the city take the cake. 

 “I have observed,” Bogaard said.” “That 
it doesn’t take more to gather a strong 
representation from the city council and 
a huge representation from Pasadena 
then a cake that is historic in its size, in its 
complexity and in its beauty.” 

 Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts 
made the cake. 

 Lachlan Sands, the Dean of Le Cordon Bleu, 
said the cake took two weeks to create with 
14 students working on it, “they were all 
volunteers.”

 He said the project leader Alicia Boada 
oversaw the cake’s design which was done 
using computer aided design.

“We took photos of the actual cupola on 
the town hall,” Sands said. “We converted 
it into a 3D image with AutoCAD… so we 
could build all the various peaces, so it is very 
accurate.” 

 

He said although the entire cake was edible 
only the middle was truly made to be eaten 
because of weight. The cake was cut, in the 
middle, leaving nothing more that a small 
slice mark. Jacque Robinson joked that they 
did not want to ruin it. 


Career 
Transitions 
Offered at 
Pasadena 
Public Library

Bogaard and Robinson cut the cake

 Job search assistance is one of 
the top needs of public library 
patrons, according to the 
American Library Association. 
Beginning June 15 Pasadena 
Public Library will offer web-
based Career Transitions, an 
electronic resource offering a 
comprehensive guide to career 
change.

 Career Transitions is designed 
to support the unique needs 
of job seekers. It is offered free 
to library patrons through 
the library’s website www.
PasadenaPublicLibrary.net. 
Patrons can also access Career 
Transitions through wireless 
access or public use computers; 
both of which are available 
at the ten Pasadena Public 
Library sites; Allendale Branch 
Library - 1130 S. Marengo Ave. 
(beginning June 20) , Hastings 
Branch Library - 3325 E. Orange 
Grove Blvd., Hill Avenue 
Branch Library – 55 S. Hill 
Ave. , Lamanda Park Branch 
Library – 140 S. Altadena Dr., 
La Pintoresca Branch Library, 
1355 N. Raymond Ave. , Linda 
Vista Branch Library – 1281 
Bryant St., San Rafael Branch 
Library – 1240 Nithsdale Rd., 
Santa Catalina Branch Library 
– 999 E. Washington Blvd., 
Villa Parke – 363 E. Villa St. 
and Central Library - 285 E. 
Walnut St.

A tractor on Hill Ave part of a massive citywide repaving project. 

Photo D.Lee/MVNews

NASA Prototype Tsunami 
Prediction System 
Demonstrated

A NASA-led research 
team has successfully 
demonstrated for the first 
time elements of a prototype 
tsunami prediction system 
that quickly and accurately 
assesses large earthquakes 
and estimates the size of 
resulting tsunamis the 
agency said Monday. 

 

After the magnitude 8.8 
Chilean earthquake on 
Feb. 27, a team led by Y. 
Tony Song of NASA’s Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory 
in Pasadena, Calif., used 
real-time data from the 
agency’s Global Differential 
GPS (GDGPS) network to 
successfully predict the size 
of the resulting tsunami. 
The network, managed by 
JPL, combines global and 
regional real-time data from 
hundreds of GPS sites and 
estimates their positions 
every second. It can detect 
ground motions as small as a 
few centimeters.

 

“This successful test 
demonstrates that coastal 
GPS systems can effectively 
be used to predict the size of 
tsunamis,” said Song. “This 
could allow responsible 
agencies to issue better 
warnings that can save lives 
and reduce false alarms that 
can unnecessarily disturb 
the lives of coastal residents.”

 

Song’s team concluded that 
the Chilean earthquake, the 
fifth largest ever recorded by 
instruments, would generate 
a moderate, or local, tsunami 
unlikely to cause significant 
destruction in the Pacific. 
The tsunami’s effect was 
relatively small outside of 
Chile.

 

Song’s GPS-based prediction 
was later confirmed using sea 
surface height measurements 
from the joint NASA/French 
Space Agency Jason-1 and 
Jason-2 altimetry satellites. 
This work was partially 
carried out by researchers at 
The Ohio State University, 
Columbus.

 

“The value of coordinated 
real-time observations from 
precision GPS, satellite 
altimetry and advanced 
Earth models has been 
demonstrated,” said John 
LaBrecque, manager of the 
Solid Earth and Natural 
Hazards program in the 
Earth Science Division of 
NASA’s Science Mission 
Directorate in Washington.


By Dean Lee

 Speculation ended Tuesday 
morning over who would 
become the city’s next police 
chief as it was announced 
that rumored Santa Monica 
Police Department Deputy 
Chief Phillip Sanchez was in 
fact the choice.

 City Manager Michael Beck 
made the announcement 
at city hall to a room full of 
city officials, community 
leaders, residents, reporters 
and police officers. Sanchez, 
53 will become the city’s first 
Latino chief. He is scheduled 
to start effective July 11. 

 Sanchez will oversee the 
department’s $61 million 
budget, 262 sworn officers 
and 144 civilian employees.

 He served 30 years, his 
entire carrier, with the Santa 
Monica Police Department. 

 “Phil Sanchez has a strong 
background in police 
management and a reputation 
as a leader who is sensitive to 
community issues,” Beck said 
in a prepared statement. “I 
am confident he will be well-
received in the Pasadena 
community and the Pasadena 
Police Department.”

 Along with the 
announcement Sanchez’s 
résumé was also made public. 
Under accomplishments, 
Sanchez has been awarded 
Santa Monica Police 
Department’s Medal of 
Courage twice. He was also 
the Rotary Club of Santa 
Monica and the Optimist 
Club of Santa Monica Officer 
of the Year among many 
other achievements spanning 
five pages. 

He served as the incident 
commander for several 
critical incidents, including 
a hostage situation at the 
Santa Monica Pier in 2004. 
He also is the recipient of 
the department’s Medal of 
Merit for development of 
Special Weapons and Tactics 
(SWAT) according to the 
city’s prepared statement. 

 Sanchez said he plans to 
begin working right away 
with Pasadena Police 
Department while also 
becoming actively involved 
in the community.

 “I have deep respect for 
the men and women of the 
Pasadena Police Department, 
which has a tremendous 
reputation in the world of law 
enforcement,” Sanchez said. 
“I also am a strong proponent 
of community collaboration 
and integration. A police 
department or police chief 
cannot improve public 
safety alone; it requires an 
entire community working 
together.”

 Sanchez and his wife 
Deborah live in Orange 
County and have four 
adult children and three 
grandchildren. He is an avid 
bicyclist and did not rule out 
the possibility of moving to 
Pasadena.

Sanchez 

City’s Next 
Top Cop

 Sanchez

Pet of the 
Week


Citizen Jounalism Boot Camp

Learn Not Just How to Blog But 
How to Report the News 

 Dakota, a gorgeous, three-
year-old, retriever mix is 
outgoing and loves attention. 
She needs a home where she 
will be included in lots of 
activities and get plenty of 
exercise. Dakota is already 
spayed and ready for adoption. 
Come visit with this wonderful 
dog today!

 The regular dog adoption fee is 
$120, which includes medical 
care prior to adoption, spaying 
or neutering, vaccinations, 
and a follow-up visit with a 
participating vet.

 Please call 626-792-7151 
and ask for A270900 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

Ladder Truck to Be Taken Out Of Service

By Dean Lee

A four-person ladder company 
at Fire Station 32 – one of two 
ladder companies in Pasadena – 
has been taken out of service for 
the remainder of fiscal year 2010 
and for approximately 160 days 
in fiscal year 2011 as a result of 
budget challenges.

 

The station, located at 2424 E. 
Villa St. , currently houses a 
ladder truck, fire engine and 
rescue ambulance. 

 

The second Pasadena ladder 
company will remain in service 
and is not subject to closure.

 

According to Fire Chief Dennis 
Downs, the Pasadena Fire 
Department had to reduce 
expenses to the point where 
public impact is unavoidable.

 

“After discussing several 
alternatives and scenarios 
with city management, fire 
administrative staff and labor 
groups, it was mutually agreed 
that a temporary ‘brown-out’ of 
a truck company would have the 
least impact to the public and 
firefighters,” Downs said.

 

The reduction will save $125,000 
for the remainder of the current 
fiscal year and $725,000 in fiscal 
year 2011, which begins July 1.

 

“This has been a very methodical 
process, taking into account 
all operational issues, National 
Fire Protection Association 
(NFPA) standards of coverage 
and ensuring timely response of 
a mutual aid truck company and 
resources when needed,” Downs 
added. 

 

The “brown out” will be 
evaluated and may be suspended 
during high-risk periods, 
such as Red Flag Warning 
days and during heavy rains. 
Response call times and other 
service measurements will be 
monitored closely and evaluated 
to minimize service impacts to 
the community.

 

In addition to the truck 
reduction, vacant management 
positions will remain unfilled to 
achieve $200,000 in savings in 
fiscal year 2011.

 

The Pasadena Emergency 
Response Team (PERT) light 
search-and-rescue module will 
be suspended until the truck 
company is back in service. 
Other PERT training – disaster 
preparedness, fire suppression 
and basic medical – will still be 
available.

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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