Mountain Views News          Saturday, December 18, 2010

HAYES (cont. from page 11)
proponent of defense spending, 
especially hundreds of 
millions for programs the military 
says it could do without. 
He’s cautioned against cuts 
advocated by Defense Secretary 
Robert Gates, worried that 
savings might be “harvested 
by Democrats” for “domestic 
spending”, and has called for a 
“robust homeland missile defense 
system.”

Education and Labor is to 
be chaired by Rep. John Kline 
(R-MN). He’s been devoted 
to protecting banks’ ability 
to gouge young people with 
high-interest student loans, by 
taking options for low-interest 
government loans off the table 
(receiving $30,000 from the 
American Bankers Association 
for his trouble). A staunch 
defender of worker exploitation 
and union-busting, he received 
a “zero” rating from the 
AFL-CIO.

Incoming Financial Services 
Chairman Rep. Spencer Bachus 
(R-AL) made his view 
clear in an interview with The 
Birmingham News: “ . . . Washington 
and the regulators are 
there to serve the banks.” As 
committee member he fought 
against creation of the Consumer 
Protection Bureau and 
restrictions against risky trading 
with taxpayer-guaranteed 
funds. Rep. Bachus is paid for 
by Bank of America ($45,000), 
Wells Fargo ($35,000), and 
about $2.6 million in additional 
PAC money (about four 
times as much as from individual 
donors).

Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), set to 
chair Energy and Commerce, 
is best known for apologizing 
to BP at a committee hearing 
for the “shakedown” by those 
suggesting BP itself, rather 
than taxpayers, pay the cost 
of cleaning up their Deepwater 
Horizon oil spill. He’s also 
known as the biggest recipient 
of oil industry money in the 
House ($22,800 of it from BP). 
He’s paid for by $3 million in 
PAC money, largely from cable 
and telecommunications - 
about three times as much as 
from individual donors. He 
informed Al Gore he’s “totally 
wrong” on global warming.

Whatever Rep. Dreier might 
mean, when you look at his actions 
and those of his Republican 
colleagues in relation to 
who’s paying them, it couldn’t 
be more “transparent”. As for 
being “accountable”, we should 
all commit to holding our 
representatives accountable 
throughout the year - not just 
every-other November.

That would make a nice New 
Year’s resolution. 

After all - ‘Tis the season. 

13

HOMES AND PROPERTY

 Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 18, 2010 

One Of A Kind: Featuring unique homes and gardens and the people whoe create them Story and Photos By Chris Bertrand 


Holiday Decorating 
Award Winners!

Thanks to 
our readers 
and 
other volunteers, 
we 
at Mountain 
Views 
News received 
many nominations for our 
2010 Holiday Decorating Awards! 
We welcomed submissions from 
our service area including Altadena, 
Pasadena, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, 
Monrovia and Duarte, though 
not all communities received 
nominations. 

We hope you’ll enjoy touring 
our award winners’ decorations as 
much as we enjoyed choosing them! 
Though our awards are totally subjective, 
what’s not to like???? If 
you’re feeling Scrooge-like, here’s the 
perfect cure!

• Best Overall Decorations: 100 
White Oak, Arcadia (top right)

• Best Sierra Madre Decorations: 
171 W. Orange Grove, Sierra Madre

• Best Monrovia Decorations: 241 
Magnolia at Oaks, Monrovia 

(bottom right)

• Best Arcadia Decorations: 

Arcadia Gardens Retirement 

Hotel, 720 W. Camino Real at 

Baldwin, Arcadia

• Best Altadena Decorations: 
Balian Mansion, Mendocino Drive 
at Allen, Altadena

• Best Pasadena Decorations: Upper 
Hastings Ranch Association 
(North of Sierra Madre Blvd between 
Riviera and Michillinda, Pasadena)

• Best Small Display: 

413 N. Baldwin Avenue, 

Sierra Madre

• Best Neighborhood Decorations: 
Madison, north of Foothill, 
Monrovia

• Best Year after Year Decorations: 
27 N. Auburn, Sierra Madre

• Best Store Window Decorations: 
Leonora Moss, 7 Kersting Court, Sierra 
Madre

• Best Decorations Seen from Far 
Away: 331 N. Grove, Sierra Madre 

• Best Historic Display: 

Christmas Tree Lane, Santa Rosa 
Avenue between Woodbury and Altadena 
Drive, Altadena

Honorable Mentions:

1. 1503 Highland Oaks Drive, 
Arcadia

2. 47 Hacienda Drive, Arcadia

3. 1255 Ramona, Arcadia

4. 1505 S. Baldwin Avenue, 
Arcadia

5. 1601 S. Baldwin Avenue, 
Arcadia

6. 1412 Orlando Drive, 
Arcadia

7. 1503 Highland Oaks Drive, 
Arcadia

8. 152 May, Monrovia

9. 912 S. Mayflower, Monrovia

10. 711 Foothill, Monrovia

11. 217 Greystone, Monrovia

Don’t miss these streets on your 
tour!

• Grandview from Michillinda to 
Baldwin in Sierra Madre

• Highland Oaks from Foothill to 
Elkins, Arcadia

• Orlando Drive, Arcadia

• Alegria, Sierra Madre between 
Baldwin and Mountain Trail

• Camino Real from West of Baldwin 
to Santa Anita, Arcadia 

Next week… City of Arcadia 

Decorations Awards 


As a buyer, you want your offer to be accepted and 
your contract to close on schedule. However, in today’s 
climate, you should expect some negotiation, 
and submit your offer with the following advice in 
mind.

The financing contingency in your offer will state 
your loan total and anticipated interest rate and approval 
date. Strongly consider locking in that rate 
with the lender, as rates are still very low, and you’ll 
avoid any future fluctuations in the market.

Reserve funds now for your settlement costs at 
closing. Anticipate anywhere from 2% to 6% of the 
amount you’re financing, plus your down payment 
(less any earnest money you offered as a deposit), 
which will be presented in the form of an official 
(cashier’s) check.

If your down payment funds are not in an immediately 
liquid account, keep things on track by 
moving the funds into your checking account at 
least a week before closing, so you’re sure that you’ll 
be able to access the money in advance of the closing 
date.

Finally, try to avoid a closing date at the end of the 
month or the end of the year, as these are the busiest 
times for lenders and could cause undue delay 
in meeting your approval deadline for financing. 
Speak with your agent about other factors in crafting 
your offer and successfully closing on schedule.

LUTHER TSINOGLOU dre#01135433

Dickson Podley Realtors

30 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, CA 91024

(626)507-3029 direct (626)695-8650 cell 
626)408-1402 e-fax www.Luther@Tsinoglou.com

Smooth

Sailing