Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 2, 2011

4

Mountain Views-News Saturday, April 2, 2011 

Work Stops on Cameron’s 
3D Cameras on Mars Rover


City Looks 
to Ban 
Smoking in 
Multi-unit 
Housing 

 The NASA rover to be 
launched to Mars this year 
will carry the Mast Camera 
(Mastcam) instrument 
already on the vehicle, 
providing the capability to 
meet the mission’s science 
goals. The mission was set to 
include 3D motion imaging 
designed by film director 
James Cameron. 

 Work has stopped on 
Cameron’s alternative 
version of the instrument, 
with a pair of zoom-lens 
cameras, which would 
have provided additional 
capabilities for improved 
three-dimensional video. 
The installed Mastcam on 
the Mars Science Laboratory 
mission’s Curiosity rover 
uses two fixed-focal-length 
cameras: a telephoto for 
one eye and wider angle 
for the other. Malin Space 
Science Systems, San Diego, 
built the Mastcam and was 
funded by NASA last year to 
see whether a zoom version 
could be developed in time 
for testing on Curiosity. 

 “With the Mastcam that was 
installed last year and the 
rover’s other instruments, 
Curiosity can accomplish its 
ambitious research goals,” 
said Mars Science Laboratory 
Project Scientist John 
Grotzinger, of the California 
Institute of Technology, 
Pasadena. “Malin Space 
Science Systems has provided 
excellent, unprecedented 
science cameras for this 
mission. The possibility for 
a zoom-camera upgrade 
was very much worth 
pursuing, but time became 
too short for the levels of 
testing that would be needed 
for them to confidently 
replace the existing cameras. 
We applaud Malin Space 
Science Systems for their 
tremendous effort to deliver 
the zooms, and also the Mars 
Science Laboratory Project’s 
investment in supporting 
this effort.” 

 Malin Space Science 
Systems has also provided 
the Mars Hand Lens Imager 
and the Mars Descent Imager 
instruments on Curiosity. 
The company will continue 
to pursue development of 
the zoom system, both to 
prove out the design and to 
make the hardware available 
for possible use on future 
missions. 

 “While Curiosity won’t 
benefit from the 3D motion 
imaging that the zooms 
enable, I’m certain that 
this technology will play 
an important role in future 
missions,” said Mastcam Co-
Investigator James Cameron. 
“In the meantime, we’re 
certainly going to make the 
most of our cameras that are 
working so well on Curiosity 
right now.” 

 Mastcam Principal 
Investigator Michael Malin 
said, “Although we are very 
disappointed that the zoom 
cameras will not fly, we 
expect the fixed-focal-length 
cameras to achieve all of the 
primary science objectives of 
the Mastcam investigation.” 

 The rover and other parts of 
the Mars Science Laboratory 
spacecraft are in testing 
at NASA’s Jet Propulsion 
Laboratory, Pasadena, 
Calif., which manages 
the project for the NASA 
Science Mission Directorate, 
Washington. The spacecraft 
will be delivered to NASA 
Kennedy Space Center in 
Florida in coming months 
for launch late this year. In 
August 2012, Curiosity will 
land on Mars for a two-year 
mission to examine whether 
conditions in the landing 
area have been favorable 
for microbial life and for 
preserving evidence about 
whether life has existed 
there. 

By Dean Lee

 The city council is set to 
discuss Monday night the 
possibility of implementing 
stronger anti-smoking laws in 
the city including a complete 
smoking ban on patios and 
balconies, and in outdoor 
common areas, of multi-
unit housing —a move being 
criticized by the Pasadena 
Chamber of Commerce.

 Chamber President, Paul 
Little said, in a letter Tuesday to 
the council, that although they 
in no way condone smoking, 
the ordnance bans a legal 
activity “in the privacy of one’s 
home, and is an unwarranted 
intrusion into the privacy of 
your citizens.”

 He also said the ban could lead 
to an unnecessary opportunity 
for lawsuits, both for residents 
and against the city. It would 
also be unenforceable he said.

 According to city staff, 
the new ordnance would 
specifically define secondhand 
smoke as a public nuisance 
and as an infraction under 
Pasadena Municipal Code. It 
would require disclosure of the 
ordinance to all prospective 
and existing tenants and buyers 
in rental, lease and purchase 
agreements by January 2012 
and establish phase-in period 
for 100% smoke free multi-
unit housing by 2014.

 According to the city’s 
Planning Department, there 
are approximately 33,717 
multi-family units in the city, 
including both apartments 
and condominiums.

 The new ban would be a 
continuance of tobacco control 
policies in 2008 when the 
council approved an ordinance 
to restrict smoking in certain 
outdoor areas, including parks, 
outdoor dining and service 
waiting lines. The amendment 
also restricts smoking at public 
events such as Tournament of 
Roses parade.

Staff said enforcement would 
be done through calling the 
city’s Tobacco Violations 
Complaint Line, or submitting 
an online violations reporting 
form. 

 Little said the Chamber’s 
own study showed members 
favored, instead of a ban, 
having large areas of newly 
constructed apartment 
buildings be designated as 
strictly non-smoking. “They 
also favored the city working to 
establish nonsmoking multi-
family housing units going 
forward with the cooperation 
of developers and landlords,” 
he said. 

County to Start Work on Devil’s Gate

By Dean Lee

County officials said Wednesday, 
during a special meeting 
between the city council and 
Supervisor Michael Antonovich, 
they plan to start short-term 
maintenance work in 30 days at 
the Devil’s Gate Dam to protect 
the structure’s outlet valves from 
potential damage in the event of 
more flooding.

The short-term plan still needs 
to go before the County Board 
of Supervisors later this month. 
The full scope of the plan was 
released in a report Friday and 
will be available for two weeks 
for public review. 

“This will allow us to continue to 
operate our facility, we monitor 
storms and make releases from 
the dam,” said Los Angeles 
County Planning Deputy Edel 
Vizcarra. “This will allow us to 
do that until the larger sediment 
project is completed.”

David Pliker, the County 
Department of Public Works’ 
Principal Engineer further 
explained, “The Station Fire 
coupled with the rains brought 
down a lot of dirt and the valves 
are currently covered. We need 
to do something so public works 
has the ability to control the 
water flow.” 

Friday’s report will also be given 
to all impacted cities including, 
South Pasadena, La Canada, 
Altadena, and Pasadena, as well 
as environmental groups such 
as the Sierra Club and Friends 
of Hahamongna. 

Vizcarra said about 1.6 million 
cubic yards of material needs to 
be removed during the larger 
sediment removal project. The 
board of supervisors voted 
March 1 to conduct a full 
Environmental Impact Report 
for removal. 

Vizcarra said the EIR would 
look at the removal and 
disposal methods including 
the use of tucks something 
environmentalists have said 
they are concerned with. 

“We would do what we call 
dry weather removal,” he said. 
“When the storm season comes 
we shut down, after the next 
storm season we continue.”

Vizcarra said after the Station 
Fire they accumulated eight feet 
of sediment when normally they 
see six or seven inches a year.

Pliker said Antonovich had 
asked that a regional taskforce be 
setup including environmental 
groups, stakeholders, and 
experts in water management.

“1.6 million yards is a lot of 
material,” Vizcarra said. “How 
can you best use it, can you 
recycle it? Use it for beach 
replenishment? There are a 
number of things you can do 
with it.

Pliker said the Devil’s Gate is 
one of 14 major dam facilities 
in LA County including one 
in Arcadia where protesters 
made headlines after trying to 
stop the County Department of 
Public Works from removing 
old-growth oak trees as part of a 
sediment removal project.

Supervisor asks that 
a regional taskforce 
be setup incluing 
environmental 
groups, stakeholders, 
and experts in water 
management

D.I.S.A.R.M. 
Nets Arrests, 
Drugs, Millions 
in Cash

Library to Sale 9,000 Used 
Mysteries and Thrillers 

 Try visualizing a collection 
of 9,000 mysteries, espionage 
capers, political intrigues, 
psychological thrillers and 
detective stories spread 
across 60 banquet tables, 
alphabetized by author and 
set in the halls of Roosevelt 
Elementary School. If that 
sparks your curiosity, mark 
your calendar for April 16th 
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

The major book event will 
honor the late Tom McGuinn 
of Simi Valley, an avid 
collector of contemporary 
mystery/thrillers. His widow, 
Sue McGuinn, donated the 
collection to the Friends of 
the Pasadena Public Library 
to aid the organization’s 
fundraising through book 
sales. Proceeds will benefit 
programs at the Central 
Library and the city’s nine 
branch libraries.

 The collection -- in excellent 
condition – includes 
approximately 3,600 volumes 
signed by authors. Most of 
the books will be priced 
from 50 cents to $5.00. Sales 
are cash only. Please bring 
your own bags and boxes.

 Gain priority admission at 
9 a.m. for $20. Admission is 
free after 9:45 a.m. To find 
the book sale entrance at 
the rear of the school, turn 
east on Rosemont Avenue 
from North Orange Grove 
Boulevard.

 About the Friends of the 
Pasadena Public Library: 
Founded in 1977, the 
nonprofit corporation 
supports activities and 
affairs of the Pasadena 
Public Library, including the 
Summer Reading Program, 
Try It @ Your Library, 
Children’s Book Week, 
One City One Story, and 
Outreach Story Presenters. 
Our funding comes from 
memberships, charitable 
donations and from book 
sales. For additional 
information, visit http://
friendsppl.org, e-mail 
friendsppl@yahoo.com or 
call 626.744.4680.

 
Michael D. Antonovich with 
Sheriffs from D.I.S.A.R.M.

 During the month of 
February, D.I.S.A.R.M. 
Officers confiscated 107 
weapons – including 48 
handguns,23 assault rifles, 
and 21 rifles/shotguns, 
$3.9 million in illegal 
drugs, and arrested 264 
probationers during 1,400 
unannounced searches 
of residences, persons, 
vehicles, and businesses, 
announced Mayor Michael 
D. Antonovich. 

 The searches were conducted 
through the Probation 
Department’s D.I.S.A.R.M. 
(Developing Increased 
Safety through Arms 
Reduction Management) 
program, initiated by 
Supervisor Antonovich 
following the tragic August 
1999 shootings at the North 
Valley Jewish Community 
Center and the murder of 
a postal worker by Buford 
Furrow, an armed felon on 
probation from Washington 
State .

 The D.I.S.A.R.M. program 
entails pairing Deputy 
Probation Officers with local 
law enforcement personnel 
to perform unannounced 
searches of probationers and 
their homes, as a condition 
of probation, and targets the 
confiscation of guns, drugs, 
and other contraband.

 Since its implementation 
in February of 2000, the 
D.I.S.A.R.M. program has 
seized over 7,200 weapons 
and more than $218 million 
in illegal drugs and drug 
money, and resulted in 
14,500 arrests. Ten percent 
of probationers searched 
in this program have 
been found to be out of 
compliance with their terms 
of probation.

Curiosity on a tilt table in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at 
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. Image 
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Citizen Journalism Meet-up

 

 

 

 

The Pasadena Community 
Network and this newspaper 
are holding a workshop on 
Citizen Journalism. 

 This group is the place where 
aspiring journalists can learn 
from trained professionals 
and support their local 
community by covering 
what’s really happening in 
their neighborhoods.

 We will put 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 online social 
media The next meeting is 
April 5 from 6 p.m. to 8p.m. 
at the Pasadena Community 
Network - Studio G, 2057 N. 
Los Robles Ave.

 For more info call 
626.794.8585 or visit 
pasadenan.com.

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

Pet of the 
Week


County Launches ‘Youth 
Self-Sufficiency’ Action Plan

 The Board of Supervisors 
unanimously approved 
Tuesday the 55-point action 
plan initiated to provide 
comprehensive integrated 
services for the county’s 
child welfare system.

 In March 2010, Mayor 
Michael Antonovich 
established “Youth Self-
Sufficiency” as a Countywide 
Goal to improve outcomes 
in the areas of permanency/
housing, social and 
emotional health, education 
and workforce preparedness. 

 “The outlook for the 
1,800 young people who 
transition from county care 
to adulthood every year 
remains bleak -- half of them 
will be unemployed, a third 
will be on public assistance, 
a quarter will be incarcerated 
and over a fifth will be 
homeless,” said Antonovich. 

 Landmark child welfare 
legislation, H.R. 6893, 
signed by President George 
W. Bush in 2008, along with 
California Assembly Bill 12 
(Beall/Bass), extends federal 
and state funding for services 
to youth between the ages 
of 18 and 21. Antonovich’s 
initiative ensures the most 
effective allocation of these, 
and existing resources 
as recommended by a 
workgroup he convened of 
departments, commissions, 
advocates, non-profits, 
philanthropy and former 
foster youth.

 “No single department 
can effectively serve a child 
in isolation. The goal of 
self-sufficiency must begin 
as soon as a child enters 
our system and all county 
departments must have a 
clear mission of the role 
each plays in the life of that 
child,” Antonovich added. 
“This initiative will demand 
accountability and better 
futures for these young 
people. Through positive 
action, coordination and 
accountability, we can 
successfully serve our 
foster youth and help them 
transition to become self-
sufficient and productive 
adult members of society.”

Ramey, a lovely, year and a 
half old, brown and white 
tabby is friendly and loves 
attention. She can be a 
little shy at first but warms 
up quickly. She gets along 
with other cats and would 
be a great companion for 
someone who likes to take 
it easy. Come visit with 
Ramey 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 A284566 
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

CIty to Hold Emergency 
Response Boot Camp 

 Pasadena families, 
neighborhood leaders, 
business associations, 
churches and community-
based organizations are 
invited to a free boot camp 
Saturday, April 2, when they 
will go through Pasadena 
Emergency Response 
Training (PERT) course.

 The event, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 
p.m. at Cleveland Elementary 
School , 524 Palisade St. , will 
include training in disaster 
preparedness, assessment 
of medical needs, fire 
suppression, light search 
and rescue, and other skills 
critical to the first 72 hours 
after a disaster when first 
responders may have to take 
care of other top-priority 
needs.

 Breakfast and lunch will be 
provided. Wear comfortable 
clothing and closed-toe 
shoes. 

 RSVPs are required. 
To reserve a spot or for 
more information e-mail 
district1@cityofpasadena.
net, visit www.
cityofpasadena.net/district1/
pert or call (626) 744-4444.

 This event is sponsored 
by Pasadena City 
Councilwoman Jacque 
Robinson, Flintridge Center 
and Southern California Gas 
Company.

 For general information 
about emergency 
preparedness in Pasadena 
visit www.cityofpasadena.
net/disaster or call (626) 
744-7276.

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