Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 7, 2010

4

 
Mountain Views News Saturday, August 7, 2010


By Dean Lee

 Bill Nye, best known as, “The 
Science Guy,” greeted astronomy 
enthusiasts Thursday night as he 
eat ice cream outside the new 
Planetary Society Headquarters 
as Star Wars music played in 
the background —all part of an 
open house celebrating both its 
30th anniversary and move into 
the new building. 

 The new headquarters 
is just blocks away from 
the Tournament of Roses 
Tournament House overlooking 
the Arroyo. 

 Nye was also named the new 
Executive Director saying it was 
an honor to be only the second 
director in the society’s history. 
In September he will officially 
replace Louis Friedman co-
founder and Executive Director 
since the organization began. 

 In a statement Friedman 
said, “We are very excited that 
Bill is taking this position. He 
will do a terrific job directing 
the Planetary Society into the 
future, and I look forward 
to seeing where he will lead 
the organization that I was 
privileged to serve for so long.”

 Nye had been Vice-President 
since 2005. 

 Planetary Society 
Spokeswoman Susan Lendroth 
said the society made the choice 
to move the headquarters earlier 
this year. 

 “The society had been in a 
different location in Pasadena 
for 25 years, that was a Green 
and Green house,” she said. “A 
beautiful 100-year-old building 
that like many 100-year-old 
buildings needed a lot of 
upkeep.”

 She said the decision was made 
to put more money into research 
and outreach programs instead 
of upkeep of the building. 

 Nye is also involved with 
the society’s Planetary Radio 
Show featuring interviews with 
scientists and engineers on a 
quest for knowledge about the 
solar system and beyond said 
Mat Kaplan, Producer and host 
of the show. Planetary Radio 
can be downloaded from their 
website planetary.org in podcast 
form he said.

Planetary 
Society 
Hosts Open 
House


Annual “Welcome 
Day” Set for PCC


Meeting 
Focus on 
Planning 
Director

Selection

Bill Nye greets new Police Chief Phil Sanchez during open house

 Pasadena residents, 
business owners and other 
stakeholders are invited 
to provide input on the 
search for Pasadena’s next 
planning director during 
a community meeting 
Tuesday, Aug. 17, from 6:30 
to 8:30 p.m. in the Council 
Chamber, room S249 at 
Pasadena City Hall, 100 N 
Garfield Ave. 

 City Manager Michael J. 
Beck, who will make the 
final selection, encourages 
Pasadenans to participate 
by voicing their opinions on 
the ideal qualities the next 
planning director should 
possess and the issues the 
director should be prepared 
to undertake. 

 “As we move into the 
application period for 
this position, I want to 
provide an opportunity 
for the community at large 
to provide input into the 
process,” said Beck. “I value 
the community’s opinion.”

 The new planning director 
will have an opportunity to 
present a fresh assessment 
of the department’s business 
practices, systems and 
customer orientation that 
support the community’s 
vision for land use.

 Recruitment will begin in 
the next two weeks and will 
close in mid-September, after 
which a series of interviews 
will be scheduled to identify 
semi-finalist candidates. 
Beck will appoint a 
community committee 
to assist him in selecting 
three to four finalists. He 
anticipates appointing a new 
department director by the 
end of the year.

 Assistant City Manager 
Steve Mermell has been 
serving as interim director 
of the Planning and 
Development Department. 
Soon the department’s 
development responsibilities 
will be moved into the City 
Manager’s Office under 
Mermell’s oversight.

 For more information 
call the Pasadena Human 
Resources Department at 
(626) 744-4366.

 

 Pasadena City College will 
help introduce new students 
and their families to college 
life as part of the eighth 
annual “Welcome Day” on 
Aug. 27 from 8:30 to 11:30 
a.m. Festivities will take 
place at the Campus Center 
and Quad. Free Parking will 
be available in any student 
lot.

 Incoming students and their 
families will be able to take 
tours of the campus and ask 
questions to PCC students 
and staff. New students will 
also have the opportunity to 
get a jump on the fall semester 
by meeting professors, and 
obtain information on where 
to find classrooms, purchase 
textbooks, I.D. cards, and 
parking permits.

 Campus tours will be 
given to students and their 
families in English, Chinese, 
Spanish, and sign language. 
Information on financial aid, 
transfer services, student 
affairs, counseling, and 
admissions will be available.

 For more information on 
Welcome Day, visit www.
pasadena.edu/welcomeday 
or call (626) 585-7458.


Commission Opposes Death Sentencing

By Dean Lee

 Although Human Relations 
Commission members said 
Tuesday night they were in favor 
of making recommendations 
to the city council to support 
a resolution to end death 
sentencing in L.A. County, they 
also said the issue needed to 
again be put on their agenda for 
a formal vote. 

 The issue had been placed under 
public comment. “This has to be 
treated as an information only 
item,” Staff representative Sonya 
Amos said. 

 Albert Milena, chair of the 
commission said in support, 
“The death penalty is not going 
to actually solve anything. It’s 
the alternatives, education and 
jobs.” 

 James Clark ACLU 
Coordinator for Death Penalty 
Alternatives said he was asking 
them to follow other cities such 
as Berkeley and Palo Alto.

 He said death sentencing in 
L.A. County was absurdly high.

 “In 2009, Los Angeles became 
the national leader in new death 
penalty cases,” he said. ”We 
sentenced more people to death 
last year than any county in the 
country. In fact, more death 
sentences than the entire state 
of Texas.”

 Clark said this was costing 
money that could be used to, 
hire, or retain, teachers, police 
and firefighters. He added that, 
by race, Hispanics were the 
fastest growing in number of 
cases.

 A draft of the resolution calls 
for support following 15 states 
and major religions in opposing 
the death penalty. It states, 130 
innocent people in California 
have been freed from death row 
after being found innocent of 
charges. Clack said one of which 
was from Pasadena. He said a 
Pasadena woman was freed after 
DNA evidence did not link her 
to a crime. She spent 17 years in 
jail Clark said. 

 Milena said that if one innocent 
person could be saved that 
supporting the resolution was 
worth it. 

 The resolution also recognizes 
that death penalty cases 
cost more than permanent 
incarceration, but do not make 
communities safer. It also calls 
to invest in resources in proven 
violence prevention programs. 

 Amnesty International USA 
Local Pasadena Group 22 was 
also at the meeting. There was 
no opposition to the resolution. 
The commission meets the first 
Tuesday of each month.

New Seating Enhances Charm 
of Hastings Butterfly Garden


Officials Required to Report Salaries Online 

 

 Newly donated benches and 
a chair shaped like a butterfly, 
along with large boulders 
arranged for outdoor 
seating (and climbing), are 
enhancing the charm of the 
Butterfly Garden created 
in May at Hastings Branch 
Library, 3325 E. Orange 
Grove Blvd. in Pasadena .

 The public is invited to 
enjoy the playful outdoor 
seating, which has become 
the place for photographing 
children with their favorite 
books (which have been 
known to flutter).

 The teak benches and 
dramatic winged chair were 
donated by The ARBA Group 
& SKCB Management Inc. 
and complement the garden.

 With the aid of District 
4 City Councilman Steve 
Haderlein, community 
volunteers helped plant the 
garden that favors native 
drought-tolerant plants sure 
to attract Monarchs, Queens 
, Swallowtails, Painted 
Ladies, Buckeyes, Red 
Admirals, Sulphurs, Whites, 
Gray Hairstreaks, Skippers 
and Azures.

 Other project partners 
include Pasadena Public 
Library, Pasadena Public 
Works Department, Barrios 
Landscaping, Magic Growers 
and local lepidopterist Jack 
Levy.

 For more information call 
(626) 744-7262.

 State Controller John 
Chiang this week announced 
new reporting requirements 
for all California cities 
and counties, directing 
them to clearly identify 
elected officials and public 
employees’ compensation. 
The information will be 
posted on the Controller’s 
website, starting in 
November.

The city complies 

 In a statement released 
Friday, Public information 
Officer, Ann Erdman said 
that the salary ranges of 
Pasadena city employees 
had been available for years 
on the Human Resources 
Department’s webpage 
although numerous news 
organization had made 
public records requests, in 
the past weeks, for some of 
the information. 

 She said the information 
comes “in the wake of the 
salary scandal in Bell , Calif.” 

 The salary ranges have also 
been placed on the home 
page of the city website: 
www.cityofpasadena.net 
(under FYI Pasadena) she 
said. 

 “I am committed to a 
transparent and open 
organization,” Pasadena 
City Manager Michael Beck 
said. “It is important to me 
for the community to have 
confidence in that openness.”

 Erdman explained, more 
than 2,000 city employees 
work in 14 departments. The 
web page includes a database 
of job titles, salary ranges and 
descriptions of the positions. 
There is also a search bar 
where job titles may be 
entered. 

 She also said, Pasadena 
is a full-service city with 
15 departments and an 
expectation that many 
employees, mostly at the 
management level, often 
work evenings and weekends 
without the benefit of 
overtime. 

 “The city of Pasadena aims 
to provide fair salaries for 
our dedicated and talented 
workforce,” Beck said. 

 He will continue to pursue 
policies and programs that 
further open government in 
Pasadena Erdman added. 

New Members Appointed to PCC 
Measure “P” Oversight Committee

Pet of the 
Week

 
On Saturday, LA Galaxy 
and Real Madrid will play 
at the Rose Bowl to a near 
sellout crowd of more than 
75,000 fans. Heavy traffic 
and congested streets are 
anticipated around the Rose 
Bowl for this event. The 
Game starts at 7:30 pm.

 The LA Galaxy, the Rose 
Bowl Stadium and the 
Pasadena Police Department 
encourage those attending 
the game to arrive at the Rose 
Bowl before 6:00 pm to help 
avoid delays. Those arriving 
after 6:00 pm can expect 
long delays and will likely 
to be parked a long distance 
from the stadium. Those 
who do not arrive early risk 
the possibility of missing a 
portion of the match. 

 Fans are encouraged to 
carpool, use the free spectator 
shuttle from Parsons parking 
lot (Fair Oaks Ave/Walnut 
St) in Old Pasadena and most 
importantly, arrive early. For 
those early arrivals there will 
be a Soccer Fest in Rose Bowl, 
Lot H featuring live music. 
The LA Galaxy Fun Zone 
features interactive elements, 
and sponsor booths will 
provide giveaways. Food 
vendors will be set up, and 
there will be a beer garden 
for adult fans. Those arriving 
early may also tailgate on the 
Brookside golf course in a 
park-like setting.

 For parking and shuttle 
information, or for 
driving directions to Old 
Pasadena or the Rose Bowl 
Stadium, please visit www.
lagalaxy.com or, www.
rosebowlstadium.com.

 Driving Tips: Those using 
GPS devices are likely to be 
given information regarding 
how to get to 
the Rose Bowl. However, 
GPS offers no advice 
regarding real-time traffic or 
parking conditions. PLEASE 
follow Caltrans freeway signs 
to best guide you to available 
parking areas.

 When freeway signs indicate 
there are several exits to the 
venue (i.e. Rose Bowl Next 
3 Exits), avoid stacking up 
behind a line of cars in front 
of you at the 1st off-ramp. 
There is likely to be far less 
traffic at the 2nd or 3rd off-
ramps, either of which will 
take you to the same parking 
lots in far less time.

Heavy Traffic, 
Large Crowd 
Expected For 
Soccer Match

 The Pasadena Area 
Community College District 
Board of Trustees recently 
appointed four new community 
representatives and three 
community volunteers to serve 
on the Measure “P” Citizens’ 
Oversight Committee. The 
committee will report on 
the progress of the college’s 
renovations and construction 
as funded by voter-approved 
Measure “P” Bond funds. 
Committee members serve 
for two years and can be 
reappointed for a second term 
based on a pre-determined 
rotation schedule. 

 The five new community 
representatives joining 
Angie Mont-O’Brien on the 
committee are Nolan Pack, 
Scott Feldman, Kevin Strotz, 
and Shirley Burt. The three new 
volunteers from the PCC trustee 
districts joining Laura Olhasso, 
Annie Yu, and Charles Nelson 
on the committee are Jonathan 
Fuhrman, James Smith, and 
Bradford King. 

 For more information about 
Measure “P,” call (626) 585-7258 
or visit the Measure “P” website 
at www.pasadena.edu/bond.

 
Smokey, just look at this 
little beauty! She is just three 
years old, curious, and loves 
attention. She also likes to play 
and purrs when you pet her. 
Come meet this lovely and 
unique looking girl 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 A272378 
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

Citizen Journalism Boot Camp 

 


 
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 August 17, class 
from 11a.m.- 1p.m. at the 
PCN studios 2061 N. Los 
Robles Ave. #109. For more 
info contact Aaron Wheeler 
(626) 794-8585. Cost of the 
six week camp is $10 which 
covers all instructional 
materials and equipment. 

 Learn not just how 
to blog but how to 
report the news

Rose Bowl

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