Mountain Views News          Saturday, December 18, 2010

4

Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 18, 2010 

Police Sergeants Agree 
to Two Year Pay Freeze

City 
Changes 
Street 
Name for 
Mercantile 
Place


Thinking Holiday Safety

Thinking Holiday Safety

By Dean Lee

 The city and representatives 
of Pasadena Police Sergeants 
Association reached a deal 
that increases the number 
of unused, accrued vacation 
hours that an employee 
may cash out per year and 
increases the maximum 
number of sick leave hours 
although, overall, freezes 
salaries for the next two 
years.

 The council unanimously 
adopted the Memorandum 
of Understanding (MOU) 
with the PPSA last week.

 Under the new contract, 
employee may cash out 72 
vacation hours per year up 
from 50. It also increase the 
maximum number of sick 
leave hours that an employee 
may accumulate from 960 
hours to 2080 hours. The 
MOU also increases health 
insurance benefits and 
Dental Insurance benefits. 
It also allows parties to re-
open negotiations on hours 
of work and the payment for 
overtime during the second 
year of the term.

 The MOU covers the period 
April 26, 2010 through April 
25, 2012.


By Dean Lee

 The city council voted 
Monday night in favor 
of changing the name 
of Mercantile Place east 
of Raymond Avenue to 
Plotkin Alley after a formal 
request was made by the 
Old Pasadena Management 
District in September. 

 The new street name 
will honor James Plotkin, 
a founding member of 
the Pasadena Central 
Improvement Association 
in the early 1980’s.

 The cost of changing the 
name is estimated at $2,500 
which also includes a plaque 
in his honor. 

 According to Martin 
Pastucha, Director of Public 
Works, “Plotkin has been 
a community leader in 
the revitalization of Old 
Pasadena as evidenced in 
his contributions to the 
Old Pasadena Streetscapes 
and Alley Walkways Plan 
adopted by City Council on 
July 24, 1995. His dedication 
and work helped further 
the City Council’s goals 
to improve, maintain and 
enhance public facilities 
and infrastructure and 
support and to promote the 
quality of life and the local 
economy.” 

 Plotkin has also served on a 
number of Pasadena-based 
organizations including 
the Heart of Pasadena 
Association, as an Advisory 
Board Member of Pasadena 
Beautiful, Pasadena 
Heritage, Pasadena Center 
Operating Company, 
Pasadena Chamber of 
Commerce, and Pasadena 
Museum of History.

 The name change has been 
reviewed by the United 
States Post Office and the 
police and fire departments.


By Dean Lee

 City firefighters held their 
annual holiday safety media 
briefing Thursday morning 
—complete with a dangerous 
tree burning— although 
this year’s tips came just 
weeks after three Pasadena 
family members became 
hospitalized with carbon 
monoxide poisoning from a 
faulty heater. 

 Pasadena Fire Chief Dennis 
Downs warned of the dangers 
of having broken, frayed 
and damaged wiring on 
Christmas trees. Firefighters 
then lit a dried tree on fire.

 “All it takes is about 60 
seconds, for that little flame, 
to this,” Downs said as a 
10 foot fireball behind him 
slowly fizzled out turning a 
full sized tree into a shriveled 
blackened sick. “That’s why 
it’s so crucial that we have 
green trees, that are not dry, 
that are not old and kept wet.” 

 Downs also explained that 
one way to tell a dry tree is 
to test the needles to make 
sure they do not slip off the 
branches. He also said not 
to leave a tree up after the 
holidays, “you don’t leave it 
up, you get it out.”

 He said a burning Christmas 
tree gives off as much heat 
as burning one gallon of 
gasoline. Home fires during 
the holidays kill more than 
400 people each year in the 
U.S., injure 1,650 and cause 
nearly $1 billion in damage 
he said. 

 The briefing started with 
Downs cautioning about 
portable heaters and not 
putting then near you when 
sleeping. He also said to 
check the batteries in smoke 
detectors. 

 Pasadena Fire Public 
Information Officer Lisa 
Derderian said the carbon 
monoxide incident Nov. 29 
sending a grandmother, a 
woman, and a child to the 
hospital was a good warning 
about the dangers of faulty 
gas heaters. 

 She said residents should 
invest in carbon monoxide 
detectors along with smoke 
detectors. She said they sell 
combined units. 

 Derderian warned carbon 
monoxide is a tasteless, 
odorless gas, commonly 
referred to as a, “silent 
killer.” Firefighters said the 
hospitalized family had a 
home registering carbon 
monoxide levels at 525 parts 
per million. They said carbon 
monoxide detectors trigger 
at 20 parts per million.

 

Kaiser Permanente 
Unveils Rose Float


Fire Chief Dennis Downs

Man Tries 
to Burn 
Down Police 
Department 

By Dean Lee

 A man was taken into 
custody Monday morning 
on suspicion of arson after 
entering the Pasadena 
Police Department’s records 
section with a bottle of 
flammable liquid with the 
possible intent of trying to 
burn the department down 
police said.

 “He had no confrontation 
or conversation with 
police department staff 
in the records section,” 
said Pasadena Police 
Spokesperson Janet Pope 
Givens. “He just came in 
with a flammable liquid; he 
poured it on some papers 
and lit a fire.” 

 Pope Givens said even 
after his arrest, Demetrius 
Newborn, 35, of Pasadena, 
did not say why he did it. 
The fire was quickly put out 
by officers she added.

 Pope Givens said Newborn 
had done a similar thing in 
2008 although the charges 
were dismissed. She said in 
the Monday incident there 
was no real damage done to 
the department.

City Celebrates 
Human Rights Day

 


 Rose Queen Evanne 
Friedmann and her Royal 
Court participated in picture 
taking Saturday as part of 
Kaiser Permanente’s Rose 
Parade float public unveiling 
during the company’s annual 
“Family Day.”

 The seven members of the 
court posed with families in 
front of the float, “Purrfectly 
Healthy” an image of a 
momma cat and family 
practicing healthy eating and 
active living in a Victorian-
inspired garden. Working 
and playing alongside 
these giant feline figures 
are young patients, all 
courageous fighters against 
life-threatening diseases. The 
float aims to inspire people 
to make the lifestyle changes 
that can lead to better total 
health, a central theme of 
Kaiser Permanente’s ongoing 
“Thrive” message. 

 All of the riders to ride on the 
float are Kaiser Permanente 
patients who are heroically 
fighting through significant 
diseases such as Hodgkins 
disease and leukemia. 

Pet of the 
Week

 


 In celebration of the 62nd 
anniversary of the Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights, 
the City of Pasadena joined last 
week with the Pasadena Unified 
School District to present a 
special program to honor the 
occasion. 

 The Pasadena City College 
Student Alliance presented a 
video tribute to human rights. 
Five PUSD students introduced 
by Superintendent Edwin Diaz 
presented their award-winning 
essays on human rights.

 “In the United States of 
America, we express a strong 
commitment to human rights,” 
said Pasadena Mayor Bill 
Bogaard. “But there must be 
continuing, proactive efforts to 
make certain that all persons 
in every nation can rely on 
basic human rights for their 
protection and to achieve their 
full potential. We must never 
give up on this cause.”

 Sherry Simpson Dean, 
executive director of the United 
Nations Association Pasadena/
Foothills Chapter, said the 
program was a year round 
effort.

Tournament of Roses 
Launches New Website

Helpful Crime 
Prevention 
Tips —Be Alert

 The Pasadena Tournament 
of Roses today unveiled a 
completely redesigned Web 
site for America’s New Year 
Celebration . The new site, 
www.tournamentofroses.
com, provides all the latest 
information for the upcoming 
Rose Parade presented by 
Honda, Rose Bowl Game 
presented by VIZIO, and other 
Tournament of Roses events.

 Content within the new site 
allows users to delve into 
details on everything from the 
history of the Tournament, to 
details and historical photos 
from events such as the Lawry’s 
Beef Bowl, information about 
the Tournament organization, 
Rose Queen updates, video 
and photo galleries. The newly 
designed Tournament of Roses 
Web site will inform, engage, 
and impress all users. As the 
events approach, videos, photos 
and timelines will continue 
to grow so visitors can look 
forward to a wealth of content 
in the weeks to come

 “The new site goes beyond 
providing information on 
how to visit our events,” said 
Executive Director of the 
Tournament of Roses Scott 
McKibben. “It is a one-stop 
shop to find everything one 
needs to know about college 
football, the Rose Parade and 
much more. We have also 
updated our model to provide 
new marketing and advertising 
tools, which is a first for the 
Tournament.” 

 Jessie, a gorgeous, four 
year old Husky is energetic, 
knows the sit command and 
would love to learn more. 
She gets along with other 
dogs and likes to play. She 
loves to go on walks and 
needs a home where she 
will get plenty of attention 
and exercise! Come visit 
with Jessie 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. Jessie 
earned a blue ribbon in our 
Shelter School program and 
qualifies for the reduced 
adoption fee of $95!

 Please call 626-792-7151 
and ask for A279763 or 
come to the Pasadena 
Humane Society & SPCA, 
361 S. Raymond Ave , 
Pasadena CA , 91105 . 
Our adoption hours are 
11-4 Sunday, 9-5 Tuesday, 
Wednesday, Thursday, and 
Friday, and 9-4 Saturday. 
Directions and photos of 
all pets updated hourly 
may be found at www.
pasadenahumane.org

 The Pasadena Police 
Department would like to 
remind all or our, constituents, 
families, friends, and 
neighbors, that with the joy 
of the holiday season also 
comes crimes of opportunity 
that can ruin the holiday 
spirit. Residential and vehicle 
burglaries increase significantly, 
many times, simply because 
the opportunities increase. 
Whether in your car or at home, 
please consider the following 
tips as a way to preserve your 
safety and security during the 
holiday season. 

 Helpful tips: Always lock 
and secure all windows and 
doors, Activate your alarm 
system if installed, Do not leave 
valuable items such as jewelry, 
computers, and small electronic 
devices in plain sight of the 
exterior windows, Try and 
make your home look occupied 
by leaving on a light or even a 
radio (talk type program), If 
you are going to be away from 
your home for an extended 
period of time have a family 
member or friend pick up mail 
and newspapers.

 For more holiday and general 
crime prevention tips, contact 
the Pasadena Police Department 
Community Services Section at 
626.744.4551.

Overnight Parking Ordinance 
Exempted Dec. 23rd to Jan. 3rd

 

 The holiday overnight parking 
citation moratorium is from 
2 am to 6 am, December 23rd 
through January 3rd. Vehicles 
legally parked on the street 
during these dates and times 
will not be ticketed. All other 
parking restrictions apply, 
however, and any illegally 
parked vehicles, RV’s or trailers 
will be cited and possibly towed. 

Issuance of overnight parking 
citations will resume the 
morning of January 4, at 2 
am. For more information of 
the City’s Overnight Parking 
Ordinance and Restrictions, 
please visit the City of Pasadena 
Department of Transportation’s 
website at: http://ww2.
cityofpasadena.net/trans.

County to Provide Law 
Enforcement for Roses Parade

Community College District 
Elects 2011 Board Officers

 

 The Board of Supervisors 
approved an agreement 
between the County Sheriff’s 
Department and the City 
of Pasadena to provide law 
enforcement services during 
the 122nd Tournament of 
Roses Parade on January 1, 
2011,.

 Due to the number of 
spectators and vehicles 
that enter the City of 
Pasadena to attend this 
event, supplemental law 
enforcement services are 
required to provide adequate 
police protection and traffic 
control said L.A. County 
announced Mayor Michael 
Antonovich . The estimated 
cost of the contract is 
$728,620.

 “By combining resources, 
the Pasadena Police 
Department and the Los 
Angeles County Sheriff’s 
Department will provide 
a high level of security to 
protect the public during 
the Tournament of Roses 
parade,” Antonovich said.

 The Pasadena Area Community 
College District (PACCD) 
Board of Trustees held its 
annual organization meeting 
last week to elect officers for the 
2011 calendar year. 

 All four existing officers were 
re-elected after each originally 
taking their spots in August 
during a special election 
following the resignation of 
Dr. Hilary Bradbury-Huang, 
William E. Thomson, who 
represents Pasadena Area 4, was 
re-elected board president. 

 Geoffrey Baum, who 
represents the city of La Cañada 
Flintridge, the west Pasadena 
neighborhoods of San Rafael 
and Linda Vista, and the 
western portions of Altadena 
(Area 1), will continue as vice 
president. 

 Area 6 Trustee John Martin 
was re-elected board clerk. 

 Pasadena City College 
Superintendent-President Dr. 
Mark W. Rocha continues as 
board secretary.

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