“Life’s persistent and most urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?” 

— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968 

Celebrate The Legacy


SATURDAY JANUARY 15, 2011

VOLUME 5 NO. 3

Sierra Madre ‘Command Central’ 

In Recent Tree Activist Confrontation

Breaking News:

ARCADIA BOMBING SUSPECT ARRESTED


Improvised Explosive 
Device Detonated

On Friday morning around 10:00 
am, the Arcadia Police Department 
was dispatched to Foothill Middle 
School on Sycamore in Arcadia 
regarding a suspicious person on 
the campus who tried to open up 
several classrooms. Witnesses 
said they saw a suspicious person 
walk away from the campus and 
towards a nearby Bank of America 
on Foothill Boulevard. The man 
allegedly left a backpack in the 
bushes near the bank then ran 
through the parking lot where 
Officers detained him. 

 Officers located the backpack and 
found inside what appeared to be 
a homemade explosive device. 
Arcadia Officers evacuated nearby 
businesses and placed Foothills 
Middle School on lock down as 
a precaution. The Los Angeles 
County Sheriff’s Department 
Bomb Squad was called and 
responded to assess the suspicious 
device. The LASD Bomb Squad 
detonated the device and rendered 
it safe. The lock down of the 
Middle School was lifted around 
1:15 pm and businesses were re-
opened. 

Police proceeded to arrest Joshua 
Martin Parradavis, 23 and 
unemployed Arcadia resident. 
Parradavis is currently being held 
in jail on a $500,512.00 job. The FBI, 
as well as the LA County Sheriff’s 
Department will be assisting the 
Arcadia Police Department with 
this investigation. 

 


 When activists scaled the Oak and 
Sycamore trees in Arcadia’s Wilderness 
Park on Wednesday, they 
hoped their presence would stop 
the county from destroying over 11 
acres of trees. Famed environmentalist 
John Quigley, 50, along with 
Travis Jochimsen, 28; Julia Posin, 
23 and Andrea Bowers, 45 were arrested 
late in the day. 

 The LA County Sheriff’s Department 
from the beginning treated 
the protest, including those on 
the ground, as if it were a major 
incident.

 Sheriff’s deputies set up a Command 
Post in Sierra Madre at the 
debris basin on Grandview and 
dispatched cars to every gate that 
would lead to the wash and Wilderness 
area. The blocked gates 
not only in Sierra Madre, but also 
in Arcadia and Monrovia.

 Although the number of protestors 
on the ground were few, reporters 
from all the major news 
outlets were present. One videographer 
got into a heated argument 
with the sheriff’s over access to the 
site of the demolition.

 Over the objection of the protestors 
and environmentalists, the 
trees were destroyed.

 In addition, officers arrested the 
four protestors that were perched 
in the trees.

 Each posted a 10,000 bail for the 
misdemeanor trespassing citation.

Joshua Martin Parradavis

 After months of community 
hearings, a contentious Prop 
218 exercise and an extensive 
community outreach/education 
program that the city embarked 
upon after the Prop 218 protest 
failed, the Sierra Madre City 
Council, in a 4 to 1 vote, raised 
the water rates for residents of 
Sierra Madre. Councilmember 
Mary Ann MacGillivray was the 
only dissenting vote.

 At stake was the city’s ability 
to pay the existing bond obligations 
on time. Those obligations, 
entered into years before this 
council was seated, were created 
in the 1990’s and for politial reasons, 
rates were not raised as recommended 
to keep up with the 
increasing costs.

 The amount of the increase, 
which has been inflated by opponents, 
will be less than the initial 
$8 per month per rate payer. 
A chart of the new fees and the 
Ordinance in its entirety can be 
found on page 10 of this edition. 

 

Seniors Get The Green Light

Redevelopment Agency Agrees To Provide Funds 
For The Hart Park House Renovation Project

Water 
Rate Hike 
Approved

By Susan Henderson

 At long last, the Hart Park House 
- Senior Center Renovation Project 
is fully funded.

 Dubbed the Cinderella Project 
years ago by for Senior Community 
Commissioner Pat Birdsall, the 
project was started in 2004. Over 
the years the senior community 
has been able to earmark $227,000 
however, the total cost of the renovations 
is approximately $467,000. 
Efforts to obtain grant funds have 
not been successful and the project 
had been at a standstill until Tuesday 
evening.

 On Tuesday, at the Community 
Redevelopment Agency Meeting, 
the Agency, which consists of 
the five elected council members, 
agreed unanimously to use funds 
from the CRA reserve account to 
make up the $240,000 funding gap.

 Before the decision was reached, 
members of the senior community 
spoke to the city council during the 
public comment period. 

 The speakers, which included former 
commissioners Pat Birdsall, 

Ken Anhalt, and current commission 
Vice Chair Alice Hultsman, 
urged the council to take the appropriate 
steps so that the project 
could be completed.

 When the council meeting adjourned 
and the CRA began, City 
Manager Elaine Aguilar reviewed 
the current project list and the balances 
in the CRA accounts. She 
noted that there was approximately 
$176,000 in unallocated funds 
available and approximately $2 
million dollars in the CRA Reserve 
Account. 

 Because the center is located in 
the city’s CRA district, CRA member 
Nancy Walsh recommended 
that the funds for the Hart Park 
House project be taken from either 
of the two funds or both. She 
told the agency members that the 
Seniors had not only been waiting 
since 2004, but also had completed 
the Senior Master Plan in 2007 and 
raised $30,000 in seed money so 
the city could solicit grants.

 After a brief discussion it was the 
consensus of the group that the 
$240,000 be taken from the CRA 
reserves.


When the Boughs Break

 A first hand report on 
the Tree Destruction at 
Wilderness Park 

By Kim Clymer-Kelley

Wednesday January 
12, 2011 was a very 
dark day for local 
environmentalists. 
For those of you who 
were not following 
the saga, this was the 
day that Los Angeles 
County Public Works 
department completed 
their plans to demolish 
a pristine 11 acre grove 
of natural woodlands in 
northern Arcadia. This 
serenely (cont. page 15)

Kiwanis Presents Renowned JPL 
Climatologist Dr Bill Patzert 

 

 On Tuesday, January 18th, the Sierra Madre Kiwanis Club will 
present a fascinating program by JPL’s acclaimed climatologist 
and oceanographer Dr. Bill Patzert.

 Dr. Patzert will present an hour-long program about the realities 
and ramifications of global warming.

 The meeting will be Tuesday, Jan. 18 at noon at the Masonic 
Temple, 33 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. The public is invited, and lunch 
will be served. The cost for lunch is $11 per person; reservations 
and exact change are required. For reservations, please contact 
Pat Birdsall at 355-7290 no later than noon the preceding Monday. 

 

Visitors may come for the program only (no charge, without 
lunch), which will begin promptly at 12:30. 

Guests who have difficulty hearing the PA system should bring 
a portable radio with headphones, and tune to 104.7-FM to hear 
the PA sound.

Sierra Madre Chamber of CommerceCongratulatesCongratulatesGlenn and Amy Putnam2010CitizensoftheYear2010CitizensoftheYearJoin us for the 2010 Citizen of the Year 
and 2011 Chamber of Commerce 
Board of Directors Installation DinnerintheChandelierRoomatSantaAnitaParkintheChandelierRoomatSantaAnitaParkCocktail hour begins at 6:30pmDinner at 7:30pmMibMPllJQttStdJ22ndMusicbyMercyPowellJazzQuartetSilent AuctionSaturday, January22nd$60/person, Seniors 62 and up $55Businesses/Organizations/Groups of Friends 
Table for ten = $550 -senior or notReserve your seat today, call 355-5111
EVG Station Released 
To Property Owner 

Claims now total 410 Mayor 

Commends SM Police Department

The Sierra Madre Police Department relinquished all holds 
on the property where the EVG station was located and allowed 
the owner of the property, George Attar to take control 
of it. Attar, who purchased the property three years ago, 
has been cooperating with the Police during the investigation 
of Evengy Yakimenko who owns the station.

 In the meantime, the number of claims has grown to 410 
and over $125,000. 

 At Tuesday’s council meeting, Mayor Joe Mosca publicly 
commended Police Chief Marilyn Diaz and the officers and 
staff of SMPD for the excellent job that are doing handling 
this case. He also reminded residents to review their records 
and file a claim with the SMPD, even if the bank has 
corrected any problems you may have had.


Read The Paper Online At: www.mtnviewsnews.com