Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 3, 2012

4


Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 3, 2012 

City Resets Tree Survey

Laptop 
Leads to 
Illegal 
Assault 
Weapons


710 Gap 
Analyses 
Kicks Off

By Dean Lee

 With over 1,500 trees 
now missing after fierce 
winds ravaged the area 
in November/December, 
the city council voted 
unanimously Monday night 
to restart an inventory of the 
city’s urban forest —nearly 
60 percent complete— 
started in 2010.

 The council agreed to up 
the total cost of a contract 
with Davey Resource Group 
for $42,250 and resurvey the 
effected areas. The original 
amount was $200,000 
paid for through a State of 
California Department of 
Forestry and Fire Protection 
(Cal Fire) grant. 

 “The project…involves 
the inspection of each city 
tree with a GPS device and 
recordation of information 
such as tree species, 
condition and health,” city 
staff said. “The inspection 
information updates the 
existing tree inventory and 
will be incorporated into 
work history and service 
requests.”

 According to staff, an 
arborist will begin work in 
the effected areas as soon as 
March.

 “The inspection will 
document newly vacant 
sites where trees were either 
uprooted by the windstorm 
or removed due to extensive 
damage, as well as changes 
in the condition of existing 
trees,” they said. “The street 
tree inventory is a crucial 
step in developing and 
implementing a replanting 
plan and beginning an 
effective recovery of the 
urban forest.”

 The re-inventory is expected 
to be completed by the end 
of June.

 The $42,250 will come from 
a Street Tree Deposit Fund 
Account staff said.

 The project also supports 
the city council’s goal to 
“Improve, maintain and 
enhance public facilities and 
infrastructure,” said Darya 
Barar of the Parks and Natural 
Resources Division of the 
Public Works Department. 
“It also supports the City 
of Pasadena’s adoption of 
the United Nations Urban 
Environmental Accords... 
tree canopy coverage 
maintained in more then 50 
percent of available planting 
sites.” 

 

By Dean Lee

 Although representatives 
from Metro and Caltrans said 
a meeting Thursday night was 
the first in a series of public 
outreach to gather information 
and ideas surrounding the 710 
freeway gap between Pasadena 
and Alhambra, many at the 
open house were simply there to 
express opposition to any new 
freeway above or below ground.

 Most of the two hour meeting 
at the Ramona Hall Community 
Center in L.A. was dedicated to 
public input although organizers 
gave a quick 15 minute overview 
of the process.

 “What would be a subsurface 
alternative, a surface alternative, 
an elevated alternative,” said 
Frank Quon, Executive Officers 
of Highway Programs for Metro. 
“And look at those various 
options, what is the overall 
impacts, how does it fit with the 
community, looks at the cost, 
low build, surface traffic, what 
about light rail?”

 Quon said the alternative 
analyses was a way to narrow 
down the alternatives before 
moving into a full 710 
Environmental Impact Report 
something he said they were 
trying to move towards by fall.

 He said funds for the planning 
process were coming from 
Measure R, a half-cent sales tax 
passed by voters in 2008.

 Trish Gossett, a member of the 
No 710 Action Committee and 
Highland Park Neighborhood 
Council said they, (Caltrans 
and Metro), needed to look at 
transportation projects such as 
railways and bike paths. 

 “Part of what I voted for in 
Measure R money is, what I 
believe, projects that bring us 
into the 21st century,” she said. 
“Not freeways.”

 At issue she said was getting 
cargo from the Port of Los 
Angeles to the 210 and 5 
freeways. 

 “We should use our money to 
do things that are multimodal,” 
she said. “Try to come up with 
an electric rail system that picks 
up the cargo and then move it 
into the Inland Empire to these 
massive trucking hubs that they 
developed.”

 Gossett said last year’s oil spill 
in the Gulf of Mexico should be 
a wakeup call. 

 Bill Sherman, a retired 
physician and South Pasadena 
Commissioner said there way 
no way to escape the heath 
risks associated with building a 
tunnel. 

 “It can’t stay underground 
forever,” he said. “And when it 
comes to the surface, all those 
fumes come with it.”

 He said filtering the air, 
something Caltrans had 
mentioned, was to cost 
prohibitive. 

 Sherman also said he liked 
a proposed electric rail cargo 
system under the San Gabriel 
River, “It an interesting idea.” 
He added, “We need to find a 
solution for 2012, 2022, 2032, 
42, 52, I think the tunnel is a 
dead-end.”

 
Weapons charges were filed 
against a 57-year old Altadena 
man last week following a 
continuous investigation 
that started nine months ago 
with a computer equipped 
with laptops theft recovery 
software. 

 “The use of tracking software 
for one crime, led to the 
solving of multiple crimes,” 
Altadena Sheriff’s Detective 
David Gaisford. “My partner 
and I have recovered several 
laptops over the last year alone 
through laptop tracking. They 
often lead us to property stolen 
in other crimes.” 

 In January Sheriff’s detectives 
arrested Raymond Jackson at 
his Altadena residence after 
finding stolen property from a 
burglary last May. 

 During a search of Jackson’s 
residence, the laptop stolen 
in the Altadena burglary was 
recovered. A legally banned, 
unregistered SKS assault rifle 
with two loaded 30-round 
magazines duct-taped 
together, a .32 caliber revolver 
with the serial numbers 
scratched off, and six Apple 
iPhones were also found. 

 Two of the iPhones were 
confirmed stolen. One was 
stolen from a business in Los 
Angeles and the other was 
stolen from a business in Simi 
Valley in Ventura County. 
Each of the owners said their 
iPhones had been stolen from 
their desks. The investigation 
of four remaining iPhones is 
continuing police said. 

 At the end of November, the 
laptop activated LoJack and the 
company’s monitoring center 
began tracking keystrokes 
and screen captures. Gaisford 
was able to identify Jackson. 
Personal information was 
gathered, including his photo. 

 The Los Angeles County 
District Attorney’s Office filed, 
February 24, one count of 
Possession of a Banned Assault 
Rifle, Ex-convict in Possession 
of a Gun, and one count of 
Receiving Stolen Property. 

 Jackson was released on 
$50,000.00 bond in January. 
Jackson’s next court date is 
March 12.


Metro, PCC, Partner Again 
Offer Students Transit Passes

Meeting to Give Update 
on Heritage Square

JPL March 
Calendar 
of Events

 
Pasadena City College 
and the Los Angeles 
County Metropolitan 
Transportation Authority 
(Metro) have partnered 
once again to offer low-
cost public transportation 
passes to students. The 
I-TAP (Institutional Transit 
Access Pass) allows full-time 
students enrolled in at least 
12 units to ride the Metro for 
$32 this semester. Students 
can visit PCC’s Student 
Business Services in Room 
B203 to purchase the passes.

 I-TAP is valid on Metro 
buses and Metro Rail 
lines seven days a week. 
Students can use the transit 
access passes for all other 
transportation needs, 
including work, shopping, or 
recreation. Because they are 
saving transportation costs, 
students may be encouraged 
to take additional college 
units and can invest the free 
travel time transit affords 
them to study or rest.

For additional information 
on the Institution Pass 
program, call (213) 922-2811. 
For transit trip planning 
assistance over thephone, 
call 1-800-COMMUTE or 
visit http://metro.net.

 A community meeting will 
be held Saturday, March 10, 
regarding progress on the 
development of Heritage 
Square, an affordable senior 
housing project at the 
northern portion of the city-
owned Heritage Square site 
at 750-790 N. Fair Oaks Ave. 

 The meeting is set for 10 a.m. 
to noon at Jackie Robinson 
Center Auditorium, 1020 N. 
Fair Oaks Ave. 

 City Department of 
Housing staff and members 
of the development team 
from BRIDGE Housing 
Corporation will provide a 
progress update and discuss 
the implementation of local 
benefit requirements, which 
call for a certain percentage 
of project funds to be used to 
hire local labor. 

 Direct transit service to 
Jackie Robinson Center is 
provided by Pasadena ARTS 
bus route 20 and Metro Line 
260. 

 To receive alerts about 
future community meetings 
on the Heritage Square 
affordable senior housing 
development, e-mail jwong@
cityofpasadena.net or call 
(626) 744-8316. 

MARCH 8: WOMEN’S 
HISTORY MONTH – “NASA 
Celebrates Women”

 In honor of Women’s History 
Month, NASA centers across 
the country are hosting live 
events to recognize the role 
of women in the success of 
the agency, as well as in space 
science, engineering and 
technology. JPL will host a 
panel of speakers including 
trailblazer Margaret Kivelson; 
NASA mission principal 
investigators Maria Zuber, 
Amy Mainzer, Carol Raymond 
and Fiona Harrison; and 
a Q&A moderated by Patt 
Morrison.

8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. PST

 MARCH 15-16: FREE 
LECTURE – MYSTERIOUS 
TITAN

 Titan, Saturn’s largest moon 
and the only moon in the solar 
system enshrouded in a thick 
atmosphere, has fascinated 
observers since its discovery 
in 1655. This free talk will 
begin with the discovery of 
Titan by Christiaan Huygens 
and cover all the major 
scientific discoveries about 
this intriguing moon, right 
up to the amazing results that 
are flowing back now from the 
Cassini-Huygens Mission, a 
joint NASA-ESA-ASI mission 
launched in 1997 that reached 
Saturn in July of 2004. The 
Huygens probe, released 
from the Cassini orbiter on 
Christmas day of that same 
year, drifted down to the 
surface of Titan on January 
14th of 2005, returning 
spectacular images and data to 
a worldwide audience. Cassini 
has gone on to complete 
almost 80 close flybys of 
Titan and has revealed the 
surface, which is normally 
hidden by a thick nitrogen-
rich atmosphere filled with 
aerosols, to be a complex, 
exciting and remarkably 
Earth-like place. There are 
miles and miles of dunes, 
lakes of methane and ethane 
and exotic features that might 
possibly be ice volcanoes. The 
atmosphere itself is more dense 
than Earth’s and is a soup of 
complex hydrocarbons.

 MARCH 15-17: FIRST 
ROBOTICS REGIONAL 
COMPETITION IN LONG 
BEACH

 The FIRST Robotics 
Competition is a national 
engineering contest that 
immerses high school students 
in the world of engineering. 
Teaming up with engineers 
from businesses, universities 
and research institutions, 
the students get a hands-on, 
inside look at the engineering 
profession as they design and 
build their own “champion 
robot.” 


Citizen 
Journalism 
Meet-up

A month long series of 
programming has been 
planned celebrating this 
year’s One City, One Story 
selection People of the 
Book by author Geraldine 
Brooks. The community is 
encouraged to participate 
and engage in the 
conversation surrounding 
the book. All events are free 
and open to the public.

 Brooks will join Jan Sanders, 
Pasadena Public Library 
Director, in conversation as 
they discuss her experiences 
writing People of the Book. 
A question and answer 
session from the audience 
will immediately follow. 
Thursday, March 22, 7 p.m. 
All Saints Church, Sanctuary, 
132 N. Euclid Ave.

 COMMUNITY BOOK 
DISCUSSIONS

 Saturday, March 3, 10:30 
a.m. Allendale Branch 
Library 1130 S. Marengo 
Ave.

 Wednesday, March 7, 
6:30 p.m. Hastings Branch 
Library 3325 E. Orange 
Grove Blvd.

 Thursday, March 15, 4 p.m. 
San Rafael Branch Library 
1240 Nithsdale Rd.

 Thursday, March 15, 4:30 
p.m. Santa Catalina Branch 
Library 999 E. Washington 
Blvd.

Friday, March 16, 2 p.m. 
Villa Parke Branch Library 
363 E. Villa St.

 Saturday, March 17, 2 p.m. 
Linda Vista Branch Library 
1281 Bryant St.

 Wednesday, March 21, 12 
p.m. Huntington Hospital 
Lunchtime Book Discussion 
Huntington Hospital 
Research Conference Hall 
734 Fairmount Ave. (across 
from the Huntington 
Hospital Outpatient 
Center). Parking: east 
parking structure just north 
of Research Conference 
Hall. Bring a sack lunch. 
Beverages will be provided.

 Wednesday, March 21, 3:30 
p.m. Hill Avenue Branch 
Library 55 S. Hill Ave.

 Saturday, March 24, 1 p.m. 
La Pintoresca Branch Library 
1355 N. Raymond Ave.

 Monday, March 26, 11 
a.m. Lamanda Park Branch 
Library 140 S. Altadena Dr.

One City, 
One Story 
Events 
Planned

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

Pet of 
the Week

 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 Mar. 6 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.


City planners are once 
again asking residents to 
take part in the ongoing 
process of updating the city’s 
General Plan by attending 
the next public workshop 
set for Saturday, March 10, 
from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at 
Pasadena City College’s 
Circadian Room in Building 
CC. 

 The city has been working 
with the community since 
2009 to update the Land 
Use and Mobility chapters 
of the General Plan, the 
document that serves as 
the city’s guiding blueprint 
for the future. The Land 
Use chapter outlines how 
and where Pasadena should 
grow; the Mobility chapter 
guides the safe and efficient 
movement of people and 
goods throughout the city. 

 Since the last series 
of workshops in fall 
2011, planners and city 
commissioners have 
reviewed notes from all past 
public meetings, researched 
other cities’ award-winning 
general plans, and developed 
a list of potential updated 
policies. The policies 
seek to answer important 
questions, such as, “What 
should new buildings look 
like?”, “How can we protect 
neighborhoods?” and “How 
can we improve the city’s 
economy?” Residents are 
asked to come and learn 
more about the potential 
Land Use and Mobility 
policies and offer their 
opinions and insight. 

 Additional information on 
the workshops, the update 
process and supporting 
documents is available online 
at www.cityofpasadena.net/
generalplan or by calling 
(626) 744-6807. 

Public 
Workshop 
to Look at 
City’s Future

Geraldine Brooks photo 
credit Randi Baird

 Matteo is a two-year-old 
brown tabby. He’s very 
friendly and enjoys a good 
belly rub.

 Matteo’s adoption fee 
is $120, which includes 
his neuter surgery, a 
microchip, the first set of 
vaccinations, as well as 
a free follow-up health 
check at a participating vet. 
New adopters will receive 
complimentary health and 
wellness exam from VCA 
Animal Hospitals. Ask an 
adoptions counselor for 
more information during 
your visit.

 Call the Pasadena 
Humane Society & SPCA at 
626.792.7151 to ask about 
A301265 or visit at 361 S. 
Raymond Ave. in Pasadena. 
Adoption hours are 11-4 
Sunday, 9-5 Tuesday –
Friday, 9-4 Saturday. 
Directions and photos of all 
pets can be found at www.
pasadenahumane.org.

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