Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 9, 2011

5

 
Mountain Views News Saturday, April 9, 2011 

HELEN’S STORY - FINDING THE 
PHANTOM BRAKE PEDAL

Camino Grove Teacher shares why she’s involved with 
Arcadia ACS Mini-Relay for Life, Set for June 3, 2011

By Helen Simmons Conroy

 Do you ever reach for the phantom brake pedal when someone 
else is driving the car, frantically pumping air with your right 
foot? As a confirmed control freak, I am guilty of doing this. I love 
to be in charge (one reason why I love being a teacher).

 Thus, when I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in 
2009, it put a kink in my controlling existence. At first I dealt with 
my cancer by trying to control it. That didn’t work as the cancer 
decided to spread. Facing double mastectomy/reconstruction 
surgery, I contemplated pushing the operation off until winter 
break, to reduce time away from my students. But then my 
daughter, Lauren, (who was 20 at the time), made me get real. She 
exclaimed exasperatingly, “Mom, if you die, you won’t have a class 
to teach!” I scheduled surgery for the first available date and made 
long-term sub plans for 8 weeks. 

 Luckily, through it all, I had wonderful support from my 
principal, Brook Reynolds, fellow teachers, students, parents, 
and my fabulous substitute teacher, Tammy Harvey. Third grade 
teacher, Lori Rozelle, banded teachers together to give my family 
a month of “Meals-on-Wheels.” My family, friends, neighbors, 
doctors, and home support nurse helped me more than they will 
ever know. Talking 
with cancer survivors 
who had moved on to 
lead positive, fulfilling 
lives also comforted 
me tremendously. 

At 50, my Irish 
stubbornness was as 
strong as ever and 
drove me to fight for 
full recovery with 
all my might. I was 
determined to survive 
so that I could erase 
two thoughts that had 
haunted my mind 
since the day I was 
diagnosed: the fear 
my children had of 
losing their mother 
and the fear I had not 
only of losing my life, 
but losing my life with them. The 8 weeks of recovering brought 
me new hope with each new day of healing. I returned to teaching 
and life went on.

 My fight with cancer didn’t change everything. I didn’t stop 
pushing the phantom brake pedal when I wasn’t driving a car, 
but I did find a renewed joy in doing things, both small and 
grand, that make a difference in the quality of life. I started using 
my fine crystal “just because,” and began traveling more with 
my family. Of course, teaching remained one of my wonderful 
passions. And when Camino Grove parent and fellow cancer 
survivor, Jonie Tsuji, asked for teacher support in hosting the 
American Cancer Society (ACS) Mini-Relay for Life, I jumped 
at the chance to participate. Being on the committee with Jonie 
has given me a great opportunity to make a positive difference as 
a cancer survivor, promoting cancer education, awareness, and 
fundraising for research, within my school community. It has also 
allowed me to show kids that if someone they care about ends 
up getting cancer, be it a parent, grandma, uncle, or teacher, that 
person cannot only survive, but go on to live a full, happy, and 
long life. 

 Today, I am asking Arcadia elementary school parents, students, 
and the Arcadia community to join Jonie and me in supporting the 
ACS Mini-Relay, to be held at Camino Grove Elementary School 
on June 3, 2011, from 3-6 p.m. Help us get closer to finding a cure! 
For more information on how you can become involved with our 
ACS Mini-Relay 
event, check out our 
website at http://
arcadiaminirelay.
org. 

If you have a question 
not addressed on 
the website, feel 
free to e-mail Jonie 
Tsuji at jonie.tsuji@
verizon.net or me at 
hconroy@ausd.net. 
(For information 
on the Arcadia 
community Relay 
event, to be held 
at the Santa Anita 
Race Track on June 
25-26, visit http://
relayforlife.org/
arcadiaca.) 

ARCADIA LOOSE TOP COPS

Arcadia is suddenly and unexpectedly without its two top police 
officials, Chief Robert Sanderson and Captain Gene Gioia.

Both had decided some time ago to retire but stay on part-time 
for a few months to help with the transition to a new chief. But 
that all changed with little notice last Friday when they became 
aware they were jeopardizing their retirement pensions 
due to arcane California retirement (PERS) rules, according to 
City Manager Don Penman. Both had started with the police 
decades ago as cadets before they became sworn police officers, 
and thus were working under multiple retirement formulas 
during their careers. Suddenly, Friday became their final 
day of work.

Captain Bob Guthrie was immediately thrust into the role of 
interim Police Chief while the City recruits as new chief.

“We are disappointed that they had to leave so abruptly due to 
PERS rules,” Penman said.

“I am confident that Interim Chief Guthrie and the entire 
management team in the Police Department will do an outstanding 
job during this transition.”

Ironically, Chief Sanderson, along with other City employees, 
including Library Director Carolyn Garner-Reagan, made 
their decisions to retire this year, perhaps several years earlier 
than expected, when they all were shocked to learn last year following the death of an Arcadia police officer of another little-
known PERS rule. That rule provides full benefits to the spouse in the event of the death of the employee only if the employee 
is retired when they die.

Otherwise, the spouse receives only 50% of the benefits, which has the effect of creating an incentive for government employees 
to retire at the earliest possible date allowed. - By Scott Hettrick


Poliice Chief Robert Sanderson


Arcadia Police Blotter

A Short History of the 
Southwest Museum

On April 21 at noon, Former Director of the Southwest 
Museum Jerry Selmer will be the guest speaker at this Brown 
Bag Lunch Talk at the Arcadia Historical Museum. Bring 
your lunch and dress appropriately according to weather 
conditions, as the talks are held outside on the Museum 
patio. You won’t want to miss this talk about the history of 
the Southwest Museum! 

The Arcadia Historical Museum is located at 380 W. 
Huntington Drive, immediately behind the Community 
Center. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is always free. 

For the period of Sunday, March 27, through Saturday, April 2, the 
Police Department responded to 889 calls for service of which 104 
required formal investigations. The following is a summary report of 
the major incidents handled by the Department during this period.

Sunday, March 27:

1. 1. Shortly after 1:00 a.m., units responded to Tasty Garden, 
1212 South Baldwin, regarding a vandalism report. A large glass 
window was shattered at the restaurant, and three male Hispanic 
subjects were seen at the location when the vandalism occurred. 
The total reported damage was about $1,000.

2. 2. A traffic stop was conducted around 1:20 a.m. at 
Huntington and Santa Clara on a vehicle that was traveling 
westbound in the eastbound lanes. An intoxicated 32-year-old 
male Filipino was arrested for DUI.

Monday, March 28:

3. Between 2:00 p.m. on March 27 and 5:30 a.m. on March 28, 
an auto burglary occurred in the 300 block of Laurel. Unknown 
suspect(s) entered an unlocked vehicle and stole desktop computers, 
printer, and monitor for a reported loss of about $1,550.

4. Units responded to the 2000 block of Canyon in reference 
to a fraud report. The victim received her credit card statement 
and discovered approximately $1,800 in unauthorized purchases 
made on March 8 from a Macy’s store in Modesto.

Tuesday, March 29:

5. A commercial burglary at a construction site occurred 
between 3:45 p.m. on March 28 and 7:15 a.m. on March 29. 
Unknown suspect(s) stole three steel beams worth about $10,000 
from a fenced location at Second and the 210 Freeway.

6. Around 9:14 a.m., a traffic stop was initiated in the 700 
block of West Duarte for excessive speed. A 25-year-old male 
Asian driver was arrested for speeding and a $26,000 outstanding 
warrant.

Wednesday, March 30:

7. Around 12:02 p.m., units were dispatched to CVS, 
188 Las Tunas, in regards to a robbery that just occurred. An 
employee tried to stop a male Hispanic suspect from leaving the 
store with stolen alcoholic beverages concealed on his person. 
He struck the female employee in the chest with his fist and then 
fled on foot. An area search was conducted, and the suspect was 
located and detained at Daines and Welland. A private person’s 
arrest was made, and a 30-year-old man was taken into custody for 
robbery.

8. Shortly after 3:30 p.m., officers responded to Victoria’s 
Secret in reference to a theft. Three female suspects stole a large 
amount of bras and underwear from the store. Loss prevention 
agents followed the suspects and later saw four women enter 
a brown SUV. Officers conducted a traffic stop at Baldwin and 
Huntington, and hundreds of stolen items from Victoria’s Secret, 
Disney Store, Bath and Body Works, and ULTA, which is not 
located at Westfield Mall, were seen in plain view. Over $7,000 
in stolen merchandise was recovered, and the African-American 
suspects, ages 19, 21, 31, and 33, were taken into custody for 
commercial burglary and receiving stolen property.

Thursday, March 31:

9. About 9:00 a.m., a traffic stop was made at Eighth and 
Norman for an expired registration. A 30-year-old female driver 
was contacted and during a consent search, officers found a baggie 
of marijuana, a baggie with morphine pills, papers containing 
personal information belonging to 25 different individuals, and 
forms containing medical cannabis authorization. The woman 
was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, possession 
of marijuana, identity theft, expired registration, and no proof of 
insurance.

10. A 19-year-old man came to the station around 1:18 p.m. 
and advised that he wanted to kill himself and/or hurt others. The 
man wanted to voluntarily admit himself into a mental facility for 
psychiatric evaluation, so he was transported by officers to Charter 
Oaks.

Friday, April 1:

11. Shortly before 5:00 p.m., units were dispatched to JC 
Penney regarding a man detained for purchasing items with a 
fake charge card. The suspect admitted to signing the fraudulent 
card, even though he knew that he was not an authorized user. 
The 35-year-old Hispanic was taken into custody for commercial 
burglary, forged access card to defraud, and theft by use of access 
card information.

12. Units responded to the 500 block of Las Tunas around 
9:30 a.m. on the report of a man with a gun lying near a stairwell. 
Officers found a 49-year-old male Hispanic in a pool of blood and 
it appeared that he had shot himself in the head. Investigation 
revealed that he was distraught and killed himself with a stolen 
gun.

Saturday, April 2:

13. Between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., a residential burglary 
occurred in the 300 block of Warren. Unknown suspect(s) entered 
the home by unknown means, pried open a locked bedroom door, 
and stole a large flatscreen television, credit cards, costume jewelry, 
and also a jackhammer located in a detached garage.

14. Around 5:15 p.m., loss prevention personnel from Macy’s 
advised that they had detained a woman for theft. The suspect took 
merchandise into a fitting room, removed the price tags, concealed 
the property, and left the store without making payment. A private 
person’s arrest was made, and a 63-year-old Caucasian was taken 
into custody for petty theft with prior conviction.

Coffee Kiosk Coming to 

Arcadia Public Library’s Patio

 The Board of Trustees of the Arcadia Public Library and Just 
Brewed! are delighted to announce that a permanent beverage 
concession will open soon in the west patio area of the Library. 
Serving typical café beverages, including; gourmet coffee, organic 
teas, nutrient-enriched smoothies, and light pre-packaged snacks, 
Just Brewed! will be opening in mid April. Hours will be Monday 
thru Friday 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM and Saturday 10:00 AM – 3:00 
PM. 

 Adrian and Nancy Listiawan, the husband and wife team and 
owners of Just Brewed!, have been residents of Arcadia since their 
wedding in 2008. They have frequented the Library often and are 
certain that a coffee kiosk will complement this Library very nicely. 
After a yearlong pursuit, Just Brewed! will finally become a reality. 
“We are thrilled and excited that library visitors, like myself, 
can finally have a place to take a break and enjoy a nice drink” said 
Nancy Listiawan. As part of their “Go Green!” efforts, the Listiawans 
will be giving out 50 hand-made reusable coffee sleeves to 
the first 50 customers. Since 10% of the proceeds will be donated 
to the Library, everyone is invited to come out and support the 
Library and Just Brewed!

For more information please check out our website: www.justbrewed.
net or email us at just.brewed@yahoo.com. 

Family Nature Hike! 

Saturday April 16 

8am

Bring the family and join us as we hike through Big Santa 
Anita Canyon to Sturtevant Falls. This round trip excursion 
of 3.7 miles is a wonderful way to see our beautiful foothills 
up close and personal. Enjoy the lush scenery and a 
peaceful connection with nature as you take a break from 
the hustle and bustle of your busy life. We will meet at the 
Community Center at 8am SHARP on Saturday April 16, 
board the bus to the trailhead in Sierra Madre and begin 
the adventure. Bring water, sunscreen and a hat. The cost is 
$15 and includes lunch and transportation. Children must 
be accompanied by an adult.

You can register now, on-line, by mail or in person! To 
download the registration form, go on-line to the City of 
Arcadia’s website: www.ci.arcadia.ca.us or stop by the office, 
375 Campus Drive. 

For more information please call 626.574.5113!

50% off 2 months rent
The 
Great 
Egg Race!

The race is on!. Hey all you 
Middle and High School students 
bring your flashlights and baskets 
to Eisenhower Park on Friday 
April 22 at 8 pm. Come search 
for eggs in the park in the dark. 
Prizes range from restaurant gift 
certificates to amusement park 
tickets. Parents in attendance will 
have the opportunity to compete 
with other parents to win prizes 
for their teens. So mark your 
calendars and don’t be late for 
your egg hunt date.

For more information please 
call 626.574.5113! Or go on-line 
to the City of Arcadia’s website: 
www.ci.arcadia.ca.us.