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Mountain Views News Saturday, August 20, 2011
NEW YORK DRIVE
MEMORIAL PLANNED FOR 9/11
Tri-Cities
Bandit
Arrested
City Hall
Entrance
Restricted
as Part of
Streetscape
Project
As part of the Civic Center
Mid-Town Improvements
project, Garfield Avenue
between Union Street and
Thurgood Marshall Street
will be closed for the next
four weeks. The closure,
which started Tuesday, will
end Sept. 9 city officials said.
The project will reconstruct
the street pavement and
to install brick-paved
crosswalks in front of city
hall.
In a statement, city staff said
the design improvements are
in keeping with the elaborate
brick sidewalk patterns of the
original, first designed by City
Hall’s architects, Bakewell
and Brown. Among other
elements being improved
are the street pavement,
curb, gutter, sidewalk, curb
ramps, storm drain facilities,
landscaping, street lighting,
signs, graphics and street
furniture.
During these phases of
construction, motorists will
have access to Holly Street
between Marengo Avenue
and Garfield Avenue where
on-street parking will be
available on both sides of
the street. Sidewalk access
will also be maintained for
pedestrians on Holly Street
and access to City Hall via
Garfield Avenue will be
maintained at all times.
Construction is also
expected to affect the
Pasadena Courthouse 300
East Walnut Street.
City Spokeswoman Ann
Erdman said in July that
all Civic Center Mid-Town
Improvements should be
completed in time for the
annual Pasadena POPS
Music Under the Stars at City
Hall Sept. 24. This year she
said they may see a bigger
crowd as the event is part of
the city’s 125th anniversary.
For more information call
626-744-4720.
By Dean Lee
The city took the first steps
Monday night towards
designation of New York
Drive as a memorial to 9/11
approving temporary street
signage to commemorate the
10th anniversary of the attacks
that took down the world trade
center complex killing 2,753
people in 2001.
The issue is set go before the
Arts and Culture Commission,
for full review, at their next
regular meeting.
John McDannel, a former U.S.
air force and United Airlines
pilot, said he started his
memorial efforts soon after
the initial attacks. McDannel
presented the idea before the
council Monday night.
“This has taken me a decade
of dedication to this principle of
trying to memorialize 9/11,” he
said.”
McDannel said he first worked
to plant 140 trees along New
York Drive.
“I convinced the city and the
county to work together to
improve the walkways, to put
in bikeways, put in ‘no parking’
signs, two signals,” he further
explained.
McDannel also said he has an
event planned this Sept. 11.
“I secured the old Earthlink
buildings for a celebration or
a memorialization on 9/11/11
at 11 a.m.,” he said. “To host
a celebration and unveiling of
these temporary signs.”
McDannel said he also wanted
the city to request from the
New York Port Authority the
importation of two I-beams
from the wreckage at ground
zero to construct a permanent
monument.
“This would require a lot of
vetting and consideration by
different committees within
Pasadena,” he said. “This
could be put out as an artistic
contest… very much like they
did for the Vietnam Memorial.”
The issue was brought before
the council by Councilmember
Gene Masuda who represents
East Pasadena including New
York Drive.
McDannel said his long term
goal would be to develop a
new Pasadena Memorial Park
along New York Drive using the
I-beams as a centerpiece for the
area.
A man suspected of being
the “Tri-Cities Bandit” was
arrested Friday, in connection
with bank heists in Pasadena
and La Verne, after robbing a
First California Bank branch
in Westlake Village earlier that
morning. Two men were taken
into custody after a description
of the getaway car led police to
stop a white Volkswagen Jetta
on the 101 freeway.
Ernest Viana, 39, and Oleg
Gorokhovsky, 42, were both
taken into custody by L.A.
County sheriff’s deputies after
an undisclosed amount of
money was recovered possibly
taken from First California
Bank. Gorokhovsky is thought
to be the driver police said.
Viana and Gorokhovsky may
be connected to at least nine
other bank robberies in the
last three months.
The “Tri-Cities Bandit” was
named after first being linked
to robberies in Pasadena,
Burbank and Glendale.
Police say the pair struck
Bank of the West at 2500 East
Colorado Blvd Wednesday at
about 3:30 p.m. getting away
with around $900. Viana and
Gorokhovsky later robbed a
second U.S. Bank in La Verne
around 5 p.m. the same day
making off with another
$2,500. In both cases, police
say, surveillance video shows
Viana handing a teller a
note demanding money. No
weapons are seen in either
video.
Witnesses in La Verne said
the robber may have gotten
into a late model four-door
vehicle with dealer plates,
a description later used in
Friday’s arrests.
Viana did not wear disguises
during the robberies and
dresses casually, at times with
buttoned-down shirts. In early
robberies he was not wearing
sunglasses although later he
did.
According to FBI officials
Viana may have tried to rob a
Wells Fargo Branch on South
Lake July 19 but failed to get
any money. He has also struck
banks in, Tarzana, Brentwood,
Chino Hills, and Los Angeles.
Anyone with additional
information is urged to contact
the FBI 24 hours a day, seven
days a week at 888 CANT
HIDE (888 226-8443).
Liu Announces New Local
District Representative
Tenth Annual ‘Welcome
Day’ to Aid PCC Students
College
to Provide
Outreach
at Farmers
Market
State Senator Carol Liu
announced that Adam
Carter will be her new
District Representative for
the Pasadena and Altadena
areas.
Carter will be the contact
person for area elected
officials, community leaders,
constituents and others
represented by Liu. He will be
the Senator’s representative
at community events, attend
government meetings,
meet with constituents and
provide other services.
I am pleased to add Adam to
my staff because of his local
knowledge and experience
in Pasadena and Altadena,
said Liu, D-La Cañada-
Flintridge. I encourage
constituents who need
assistance to contact with
our office.
Carter previously worked
as a Staff Assistant for Rep.
Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena
and as a Field Representative
for Assemblymember
Anthony Portantino, D-La
Cañada-Flintridge. Carter
earned a B.A. in Political
Science from the University
of California, Los Angeles.
For more information call
(818) 409-0400 or e-mail at
www.senate.ca.gov/liu.
Pasadena City College will
help introduce new students
and their families to college
life as part of the ninth annual
“Welcome Day” on Aug.
26, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Festivities will take place
at the Campus Center and
Quad. New students will also
have the opportunity to get a
jump on the fall semester by
meeting professors, and obtain
information on where to find
classrooms, purchase textbooks,
I.D. cards, and parking permits.
Campus tours will be given to
students and their families in
English, Chinese, Spanish, and
sign language.
For more information on
Welcome Day, visit www.
pasadena.edu/welcomeday or
call (626) 585-7507.
The Pasadena City College
office of Outreach, Degree,
and Transfer Services will be
providing information about
PCC programs at the South
Pasadena Farmers Market
beginning Sept. 29. The
ongoing program will provide
PCC with the opportunity
to inform the community
of the latest and greatest
developments at the college.
“PCC has a longstanding
relationship with the City of
South Pasadena,” explained
Alan De La Vara of the
PCC Outreach Degree, and
Transfer Services area. “The
farmers market will allow PCC
to inform the community of all
the academic, enrichment, and
workplace skills development
programs available.”
For more information, please
call (626) 585-7266.
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
Aug. 23 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
Filming to Close Holly Bridge
ABC Studios will be filming
an episode of “Criminal
Minds” on the Holly Street
Bridge in Pasadena on
Monday, Aug. 22, announces
the city of Pasadena Film
Office.
Located south of the Rose
Bowl Aquatics Center, Holly
Street Bridge will be closed
to through traffic from
Grand Avenue to Linda
Vista Avenue from 5 a.m.
to 10 p.m. The bridge could
re-open sooner than 10 p.m.
if filming schedule goes as
planned.
Detours and directional
signs will be in place on
the day of the shoot to help
minimize inconvenience to
the public. Barricades will
be equipped with flashing
beacons and Pasadena police
officers will be positioned at
both ends of the closure to
assist with any traffic control.
Emergency access will be
maintained throughout the
film shoot.
“Being able to film on
location is what keeps the
film industry in Southern
California adding vitality
to our local economy,”
said Ariel Penn, film office
supervisor. “The entire
production team at ABC is
grateful for the partnership
they have with the Pasadena
community.”
For more information call
626-744-3964.
County
Redistricting
Plans
Submitted
Pet of the
Week
Police, Fire Chiefs to Lead
Ride for Mentoring Program
L.os Angeles County
Supervisor Michael
Antonovich announced
Thursday that three alternative
redistricting plans have been
submitted for consideration by
the Board of Supervisors. The
Los Angeles County Board
of Supervisors is required by
law to review supervisorial
boundaries based on updated
census data every 10 years. Any
plan approved by the Board
must meet the requirements of
the Voting Rights Act as well
as other federal and state laws
regarding redistricting.
“I have always supported
districts that respect
geographic boundaries and do
not gerrymander communities
of interest,” said Mayor
Antonovich. “Many factors
should be considered in
determining a community of
interest and having three plans
will afford an opportunity for
the public to comment on a
variety of configurations of the
supervisorial districts.”
Alternative maps may be
reviewed online at http://
redistricting.lacounty.gov/.
An analysis of each plan will
be available no later than
August 21, 2011. A public
hearing will be held on
September 6, 2011 at 10:00am
at the Board Hearing Room –
500 West Temple Street . The
public hearing will offer an
opportunity for the public to
provide input into the final
plan.
Police Chief Phillip Sanchez
and Fire Chief Dennis
Downs will lead a group of
middle school students and
their mentors on a bicycle
ride around the Rose Bowl
on Monday, from 10:30 a.m.
to11:30 a.m.
The 20 students are from
Flintridge Center’s “Youth
of Promise Mentoring
Program,” which helps
youth who are struggling
to overcome multiple
challenges.
Their mentors, who are all
Pasadena Police and Fire
Department employees,
meet weekly with the
students, either one-on-one
or in small groups to provide
educational and social
support so that each young
person can successfully reach
his or her full potential. This
innovative program was
started by Flintridge Center
at Washington Middle
School in the spring of 2010.
After the ride around the
Rose Bowl, the students will
be able to keep the bicycles
and helmets. The bikes are
a gift from a local supporter
of Flintridge Center’s youth
programs. Book bags and
school supplies will be
donated by Jaylene Moseley.
“Police and Fire personnel
are commended for
volunteering as mentors in
an effort to make a difference
in a young person’s life” said
Chief Phillip L. Sanchez.
“The police and fire fighters
are inspirational role models
and the students’ grade and
the students’ grades and
attitudes have improved,”
said Flintridge Center
Program Director Ricky
Pickens, Jr.
The event will start out
with a bicycle safety lesson
from 9 – 10 a.m. (at the
SW corner of Lot H) after
which the cyclists will make
several loops around the
Rose Bowl accompanied by
a police motorcycle escort.
Invited guests include Mayor
Bill Bogaard Vice Mayor
Margaret McAustin, and
Councilmember Jacque
Robinson.
Portantino Continues Push
for Assembly Open Records
Making good on a promise
to bring transparency
and accountability to
the State Legislature,
Assemblymember Anthony
Portantino announced
Monday his introduction
of an amendment to the
Standing Rules of the
Assembly (HR20) calling
for all Assembly financial
records to be made public.
“Californians deserve the
respect of the legislature
by having access to how
their money is being spent,”
Portantino said. “We have
used the better part of this
legislative year legislating
good practices in cities such
as Bell and Vernon. We
need to lead by example and
not shroud our budgets in
secrecy.”
If passed, HR 20 requires
all current financial records
to be made available to the
public, immediately. The
resolution also provides for
fairness in budgeting for all
members’ office expenses
and precludes leadership
from either rewarding or
punishing a member for
voting their conscience. In
addition, it requests that the
State Controller conduct
annual financial audits.
“Assembly leadership has
refused to release current
budget details and has not
conducted a Performance
Audit as required by law,”
explained Portantino.
“Further adding insult to
the process, the incomplete
information released by the
Assembly Rules Committee
for last year has been
discredited by the press.
Unfortunately, Leadership
needs to be brought into
the sunshine kicking and
screaming.”
Calls for Amendment
to Assembly House
Rules
Jewel, a year old, black and
white cat is so adorable! She
is a bit on the shy side but is
starting to come out of her
shell. She would love a quiet,
cozy home where she can
continue to gain confidence
and blossom into the outgoing
kitty we know she can be. Do
you have a room in your home
and your heart for Jewel?
Come visit her 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 A285932 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
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