Mountain Views News          Saturday, November 20, 2010

5

 
Mountain Views News Saturday, November 20, 2010 

PRACTICE 
HEALTH/MEDICAL 
MUTUAL AID 
AND RESPONSE 
SYSTEMS

Arcadia –Methodist Hospital 
will participate in the 2010 
Statewide Medical and 
Health Exercise on Thursday, 
Nov. 18. Coordinated by 
the California Department 
of Public Health (CDPH), 
the annual exercise offers an 
opportunity to practice the 
health and medical mutual 
aid and response systems in 
the state.

Methodist Hospital will take 
part 9-11 a.m. The scenario 
– an improvised explosive 
device in LA County – will 
test the communications, 
medical surge and intelligence 
and information sharing and 
dissemination capabilities of 
the Department of Homeland 
Security.

The hospital and other 
agencies will have the 
opportunity to identify 
systematic and individual 
areas for improvement and 
best practices to share with 
others.

Also participating will be 
the LA County Emergency 
Medical Services Agency, 
the LA County Medical 
Alert Center, the California 
Hospital Association, Arcadia 
Fire Department and local 
health and emergency 
response partners.

When it came to a final vote of 
the Council Tuesday, there was 
barely a dissenting comment 
among the Council who 
approved it unanimously, and 
only one person in the audience 
who chose to offer a comment 
— Henry Nunez, a member 
of our committee — and he 
mostly praised the City staff 
but then threw in some barbs 
at the Council and specifically 
Bon Harbicht for not being as 
forward-thinking as he would 
prefer with creating a more 
aggressive and specific vision 
for developing the Downtown 
area around the planned Gold 
Line station and creating more 
housing flexibility to plan ahead 
for certain continued population 
growth. (He’s right about that 
— like it or not population 
growth is an inevitable reality 
and has climbed steadily for 
the past century — a whopping 
257% from 1940 to 1950 alone, 
then another 78% by 1960 to 
41,000. And it’s grown nearly 
40% more in the past 50 years 
to about 57,000. Officials project 
the possibility of another 12% 
increase — or 7,000 more 
residents — in the next 20 
years.)

These were not new criticisms 
from Nunez, and the Council, 
particularly Harbicht, basically 
dismissed him, with Harbicht 
reiterating that he won his 
election to the Council earlier 
this year on the platform of no 
change and being a proponent 
of discouraging population 
growth in Arcadia.

More relevant to me than the 
Nunez comments, was the fact 
that he was the lone person 
to take enough interest in 
the plan to develop a strong 
opinion. It’s been pretty much 
the same every step of the way. 
As Harbicht has said, unless 
it’s about peacocks, or, lately, 
coyotes, very few people seem to 
care enough about something 
as important as planning the 
future of Arcadia to show up to 
have their voice heard.

Perhaps it’s human nature, 
but it is still discouraging to 
be reminded how disengaged 
people can be. Even business 
owners with a vested interest 
in the changes that could affect 
their shops seemed to be largely 
unaware of the General Plan 
process despite the considerable 
public outreach by the City.

In any case, I would like to 
applaud the Councilmen 
for ultimately approving 
something that, even at the end, 
still included more progressive 
housing elements than some 
of them were completely 
comfortable with. I’d also 
like to commend the City 
staff once again, in particular 
Jason Kruckeberg and Lisa 
Flores, as well as my fellow 
GPAC committee members 
for successfully tackling such 
a mammoth project with so 
many moving parts such as 
trying to predict and protect the 
best possible scenarios for any 
eventual future of Santa Anita 
Park for horse racing and retail 
development, as well as the Gold 
Line and surrounding areas, not 
to mention the challenging Live 
Oak Avenue district. And there 
was so much more, from parks 
and bike paths to environmental 
considerations.

One other relatively low-key 
element that I think is worth 
sharing is the cultural and, 
specifically, the historical aspect 
of the document. The City 
consistently gets a failing grade 
for its lack of any ordinances 
or city staff dedicated to the 
preservation or even archiving 
of historical assets in Arcadia. 
Although it doesn’t have a lot 
of teeth, I hope this Council 
and future Councils and city 
staff will follow-up on the 
Plan’s words of encouragement, 
including the following selected 
points:

PR-9.1: Encourage the 
maintenance and preservation 
of historically, culturally, and/
or architecturally significant 
structures and sites in the 
community.

PR-9.2: Explore partnerships 
with local community 
organizations such as Arcadia 
Historical Society to continue 
the preservation of historic 
and cultural resources.

PR-9.3: Collect, preserve, and 
celebrate Arcadia’s heritage 
with quality exhibits and 
programs.

PR-9.4: Preserve Santa Anita 
Park’s use as a live horse 
racing venue, and preserve 
and maintain iconic structures 
at the racetrack such as the 
grandstand.

PR-9.5: Identify historic sites, 
structures, neighborhoods, 
and other resources through 
a Historic Resource Inventory.

PR-9.6: Explore the 
establishment of a Cultural 
Heritage Ordinance.

PR-9.7: Develop incentives 
that promote preservation 
and rehabilitation of historic 
structures, sites, and other 
resources.

Here’s hoping that one day these 
suggestions will become reality 
so that we will not continue to 
see iconic structures more than 
a few decades old be regularly 
destroyed and lost forever.

by Scott Hettrick, Arcadia’s Best

DOOR OF HOPE HONORS FOUNDERS 
STEPHEN & IRIS LAZARIAN AT 25TH 
ANNIVERSARY SILVER CELEBRATION AND 
ANNOUNCES $25,000 MATCH CHALLENGE

ARCADIA COUNCIL APPROVES GENERAL PLAN


Celebrating 25 Years of 
Equipping Homeless Families 
to Rebuild Their Lives

Strolling carolers, live holiday 
music and an anonymous 
$25,000 match challenge will 
make the season bright as Door 
of Hope rings in the holidays 
with a 25th Anniversary Silver 
Celebration Gala event on 
December 4, 2010. The event 
celebrates 25 years of providing 
transitional housing and 
supportive services to homeless 
families, and honors founders 
Stephen and Iris Lazarian, 
who established Door of Hope 
in 1985 as a response to the 
large numbers of homeless 
families in the Pasadena area. 
The event, held at the Arcadia 
home of Harry and Connie 
Scolinos, which includes a silent 
and live auction, is sponsored 
by Standard Property, Inc., 
The Sterling Group, Industrial 
Metal Supply, SpaceBank as 
well as individual donors. In 
addition, Pasadena Magazine 
and the Pasadena and La 
Canada Outlook Newspapers 
are our event media sponsors. 

A special match challenge has 
also been announced for the 
event. All event sponsorships 
and donations (excluding 
ticket purchases) will qualify 
for Door of Hope to receive a 
$25,000 match challenge, which 
will support Door of Hope’s 
transitional housing program 
and supportive services for 
homeless families in Pasadena 
and Glendale. 

KNX1070 News radio’s Jim 
Thornton will lend his dulcet 
tones to the event, acting as 
Emcee and Auctioneer. Jim 
has won all major broadcasting 
awards including the Edward 
R. Murrow award, Golden 
Mike awards, and an Emmy. 
Jim has one of the most 
popular and distinct voices 
in Southern California, and 
began hosting KNX 1070 
News radio’s afternoon drive 
newscast in January 2005. Jim 
has done national TV and radio 
campaigns including Old Spice, 
Domino’s Pizza, and Budweiser, 
and as the “voice” of the Pixar 
movie “Monsters Inc.” and the 
Monsters Inc. rides at Disney 
theme parks, his voice is heard 
worldwide. 

The 25th Anniversary Event 
Committee is headed up by 
community volunteers Michele 
Prince and Michele Giffin, 
and includes other local Door 
of Hope volunteers who have 
been instrumental in putting 
this event together. Pasadena’s 
Women In Networking group 
(WIN) has chosen Door of 
Hope as its beneficiary charity 
this year, and many members 
will be supporting the event 
that evening as well. 

“We are so pleased to have this 
special occasion to honor Steve 
and Iris Lazarian for their vision 
to support homeless families 25 
years ago, as well as to celebrate 
the many other individuals, 
churches, and local businesses 
that have enabled Door of Hope 
to serve homeless families over 
the years,” said Tim Peters, 
Executive Director. “Door of 
Hope would not exist without 
the love, care and concern of 
the community, and we hope 
that many people are able to 
come out and help us celebrate 
this important milestone in our 
history.”

Date: December 4, 2010

 5pm – 8pm

Location: The Home of Harry 
and Connie Scolinos in Arcadia 

(address given upon ticket 
purchase)

Cost: $25/ticket

Event sponsorships ranging 
from $250 to $5,000 are still 
available. 

Please visit www.doorofhope.
us to purchase tickets. For 
more information, please call 
626-304-9130.

Book to Movie: 
Take 3!

Friday, December 3 at 3:30 
p.m. all middle school 
students sixth through eighth 
grade are invited to join in on 
the fun with a book discussion 
of The Lightning Thief. Each 
month join us as we enjoy 
snacks, create themed crafts 
and have fun. 

The Arcadia Public Library 
is located at 20 W. Duarte 
Rd. Arcadia. For more 
information, please call (626) 
821-5566.

Arcadia Police Blotter

For the period of Sunday, November 7, through Saturday, November 13, the Police Department 
responded to 898 calls for service of which 152 required formal investigations. The following is a 
summary report of the major incidents handled by the Department during this period.

Sunday, November 7:

1. Around 1:48 p.m., loss prevention personnel from Macy’s advised that they had detained a 
woman for theft. The suspect was seen concealing merchandise in her purse and then left the store 
without making payment. A consent search of her vehicle revealed additional stolen property. A 
private person’s arrest was made, and a 38-year-old Asian was taken into custody for commercial 
burglary and receiving stolen property.

2. Units responded to the 1700 block of South First around 7:00 p.m. in reference to a domestic 
disturbance. During an argument, the suspect pushed his wife to the ground, grabbed her hair, and 
dragged her through the house. A 57-year-old male Caucasian was arrested for spousal battery, and 
an emergency protection order was obtained and served.

Monday, November 8:

3. Between 8:25 a.m. and 8:50 a.m., a residential burglary occurred in the 1500 block of South 
Third. Unknown suspect(s) entered the home via an unlocked window. Once inside, the suspect(s) 
ransacked rooms and stole a digital camera, laptop computer, costume jewelry, and a large amount 
of cash.

4. Shortly after 4:00 p.m., a victim came to the station to file an identity theft report. He indicated 
that a known suspect had used his personal identifying information to take out a car loan to purchase 
a 2006 Lamborghini. The past due amount on the vehicle was approximately $14,000.

Tuesday, November 9:

5. Around 10:50 a.m., a resident notified police that a male African-American was going door-
to-door in the neighborhood indicating that he had lost a dog, and the suspicious man was seen 
driving a gray vehicle. An area search was conducted and a stolen gray vehicle was found backed into 
a driveway in the 1300 block of North Baldwin. Officers went to the rear of the location and found a 
door had been forced open and several rooms ransacked. A 26-year-old male African-American was 
subsequently located and arrested for residential burglary and vehicle theft.

6. Another residential burglary occurred in the 00 block of West Orange Grove between 9:00 
a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Unknown suspect(s) threw a rock at a bedroom window in order to gain entry 
into the house. A computer, camera, book reader, and an earring collection were stolen.

Wednesday, November 10:

7. Units were called to Citizens Bank, 101 West Huntington, around 10:30 a.m. regarding 
a fraud report. A male African-American suspect attempted to cash a forged check in the amount 
of $5,200. After a bank representative advised that they were unable to determine the validity of 
the check, the suspect left the scene. Further investigation revealed that the check was stolen by the 
victim’s son and given to the suspect to cash.

8. Around 11:41 p.m., a 74-year-old male Asian was seen taking recyclables from various trash 
containers in the 400 block of West Camino Real. The man was cited and released at the scene.

Thursday, November 11:

9. Around 12:43 p.m., a victim came to the station to file a fraud report. On November 4, the 
victim received a call from Nordstrom advising that over $2,258 in unusual charges were made on her 
credit card account. Furthermore, a female suspect was added onto the account without the victim’s 
knowledge or authorization. At that time, the credit card account was closed and another account 
was opened. On November 11, Nordstrom called the victim again and advised that another $4,238 in 
charges were made to the new account. A female suspect had called Nordstrom, posed as the victim, 
and added another authorized user to the account.

10. A license plate check was made on an occupied parked vehicle at Goldring and Kardashian 
around 1:50 p.m. It indicated that the registered owner of the vehicle had an outstanding warrant. 
The two occupants were contacted and warrant checks revealed that the 28-year-old female Hispanic 
driver actually had 12 outstanding misdemeanor warrants totaling over $206,000. She was arrested 
at the scene without incident.

Friday, November 12:

11. Shortly after 9:32 a.m., units were called to the 100 block of Delta in regards to a disturbance. 
While en route, officers located the female subject who was involved in the altercation at El Monte 
and Palm. The woman advised that she and her boyfriend were involved in an argument, which 
escalated to the point where she grabbed a knife and wanted to kill herself. Officers determined 
that the woman was a danger to herself and was transported to a nearby hospital for a 72-hour 
psychological evaluation.

12. Units were dispatched to the 1700 block of North Santa Anita around 1:20 p.m. in reference 
to a bear sighting. A brown bear was found in a backyard, but the bear fled the location after seeing 
the officers. 

Saturday, November 13:

13. Around 12:19 a.m., units responded to the 300 block of South Baldwin regarding several 
vandalism incidents in the area. Upon arrival, officers discovered that a total of 19 vehicles were 
vandalized. The vandalisms occurred in the 200, 300, and 400 blocks of South Baldwin, 900 block of 
Hugo Reid, and the 00 block of North Altura. 

14. An assault was reported at KTV, 612 East Live Oak, around 4:22 a.m. During an altercation 
inside the location, a male victim was pushed to the ground and kicked in the head and face by three 
male Asian suspects. When the victim later went out to the parking lot, he was attacked by several 
suspects armed with golf clubs. A female victim tried to intervene and was also struck. All the 
suspects had fled the scene prior to officers’ arrival.

Carols, Choirs, 
and Cookies

“Joy in This Place” will be 
the holiday music theme 
for a Carol-Sing/Cookie-
Feast hosted by the Women’s 
Association of the Arcadia 
Presbyterian Church. 
Everyone is invited to taste 
some wonderful home-made 
Christmas cookies and sing 
favorite carols on Sat., Dec. 4, 
at 3:00 p.m.

Several magnificent 
choirs will be featured. 
Tabitha Henken will direct 
the combined choirs of 
Westminster Gardens, Royal 
Oaks Manor, and New Hope 
Presbyterian Church. The 
77-voice Arroyo High School 
Choir will be directed by 
Jennifer Stanley. Pianist John 
Brunn will accompany both 
groups.

Ms. Henken will open the 
festivities with carols played 
on the church’s beautiful 
3-manual organ. A cantata, 
“Joy in This Place,” is the 
centerpiece of the choral 
offerings by the combined 
choirs. The program will 
conclude with everyone’s 
joining to sing Handel’s 
glorious “Hallelujah Chorus.” 

 This is a marvelous 
opportunity to usher in the 
holiday season, and to fill 
your heart and spirit with 
joyful music celebrating Jesus’ 
birth!

The Presbyterian Church 
is located at 121 Alice 
St., Arcadia. For more 
information, call 626-445-
7470.

Winter Holidays 
Around the World 
at the Arcadia 
Historical Museum

On Saturday, December 
18 at 2:30 p.m., come 
see how people around 
the world celebrate the 
winter holidays! Enjoy 
an afternoon filled with 
activities and crafts 
including a puppet show! 
Get a henna tattoo and 
make a cheeky caroler! 
Seating is limited and 
families will be accepted 
in the order that they are 
in line.

 The Arcadia Historical 
Museum is located at 380 
W. Huntington Drive, 
immediately behind the 
Community Center. 

 For more information, please 
call (626) 574-5440.


ROAD 
CLOSURE:
Duarte Road at Lovell

 Southern California 
Edison is repairing a large 
vault in Duarte Road with 
the work expected to be 
completed by December 10. 
The construction requires 
the closure of a traffic 
lane in each direction on 
Duarte between the hours 
of 7:00am and 3:30pm 
although the lane closures 
in both directions may not 
be necessary for the entire 
five weeks.