Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 17, 2012

4


Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 17, 2012 

Portantino 
Named 
‘Legislator 
of the Year’

Doo Dah 
Queen 
Tryouts, April 
Fools Day

Council Votes to Move NFL Study Forward

By Dean Lee

 The city will spend $400,000 
in the upcoming months on 
an initial study of the Rose 
Bowl as a temporary home to 
an NFL team after the council 
voted 6 to 1 Monday night in 
favor of a report.

 Councilmember Terry 
Tornek was the only nay vote. 

 “The notion of Pasadena 
having to front $400,000 
for an EIR [Environment 
Impact Report] rather than 
sharing that cost… with the 
perspective owners of an 
NFL team who have spent 
millions of dollars and who 
are prepared to finance a 
billion dollar investment, just 
doesn’t seem appropriate,” 
Tornek said adding that he 
thought the investment was 
highly speculative and that 
the city had many other 
things to worry about. 

 Tornek echoed the 
sentiments of resident Floyd 
Fulvin, the lone speaker 
during public comment. 

 “There is no evidence 
or statements by the NFL 
commissioner or any of the 
NFL team owners that they 
will be moving there team 
to Southern California,” 
Fulvin said. “Why would 
the Pasadena Rose Bowl 
be chosen over the Los 
Angeles Memorial Coliseum 
for a temporary location.” 
Fulvin also pointed out that 
the Rose Bowl was $20 over 
budget on a current three 
renovation plan, something 
city officials argued was one 
reason to allow temporary 
use of the stadium. 

 City Manager Michael Beck 
said having an NFL team 
could generate millions of 
dollars a year for the city. 
Fulvin suggested the $400,000 
could be better used.

 “You have a chose of using 
$400,000 to pay payroll cost 
to reduce personnel layoffs or 
spend money on future events 
beyond the control of this 
city council.” He said. “The 
most valuable asset in the city 
is the city employees… waste 
money on a consultant or 
provide decent wages for the 
hard working employees of 
the city.”

 Councilwoman Jacque 
Robinson said the money was 
a good investment.

 “We owe it to ourselves 
and that we have a fiscal 
responsibility to be able to 
contend for those revenues, 
that maybe derived from 
having an NFL team, if and 
when it comes to the city 
council.” Robinson said 

 Councilwoman Margaret 
McAustin also agreed they 
needed to take the risk. 

 “This is important to 
undertake because without 
this step it will be impossible 
for us to even consider, or 
have the ability to host a 
temporary team and receive 
all the benefits that go alone 
with that,” she said. 

 Councilmember Victor 
Gordo was apologetic for the 
NFL saying their secrecy was 
a function of the business.

 “The NFL holds their cards 
close to the vest, it’s in part, 
because if a team were to 
announce that they were 
moving to Los Angeles they 
would lose their fan base, in 
what ever city they’re in,” he 
said.

 Beck said the interim period 
would not exceed five years 
and not exceed 13 games per 
season. There would be no 
new construction or changes 
to the Rose Bowl Stadium 
as a result of any temporary 
NFL use. 

 The EIR is anticipated 
to include chapters on 
Air Quality (including 
a Greenhouse Gas 
assessment) Land Use, Noise, 
Recreation, and Traffic and 
Transportation he said.

 Beck anticipated the report 
would take eight month to 
complete. 

 Mayor Bill Bogaard 
participated in Monday 
night’s meeting by speaker 
phone while Councilman 
Chris Holden was absent.

 
California Police Chiefs 
recognize Portantino for 
his public safety advocacy 
and accomplishments 
Assemblymember Anthony 
Portantino was honored 
last night in Sacramento by 
the California Police Chiefs 
Association (CPCA) for his 
public safety measure banning 
the open carry of unloaded 
handguns in public places.

 “As someone with many 
relatives in law enforcement 
this means a lot to me. I know 
and respect the dedicated men 
and women in uniform and 
the work they do to keep our 
communities safe and it is a 
tremendous honor to receive 
this recognition,” stated 
Assemblymember Portantino. 
“I have been blessed to have 
worked closely with the Police 
Chiefs during my time in office 
most recently on the bill to ban 
the open carry of unloaded 
handguns. California is a safer 
place because the Governor 
signed our collaborative effort 
into law.”

 Last year, Assemblymember 
Portantino successfully 
authored AB 144 which 
outlaws the “open carry” 
of unloaded firearms in 
California. The bill was 
backed by the CPCA and rank 
and file police officers who 
maintained that open carry of 
weapons in public places was a 
safety threat and a waste of law 
enforcement officers’ time. 

 “Assemblymember 
Portantino authored the Open 
Carry bill and against all odds, 
got it through the Legislature 
and to the Governor’s desk,” 
stated CPCA President Dave 
Maggard, Chief of the Irvine 
Police Department. “Getting 
legislation like this introduced 
and passed is critical for the 
safety of our communities 
and we appreciate 
Assemblymember Portantino’s 
leadership.”

 The legislation makes it illegal 
to carry an unloaded handgun 
in any public place or street. 
Law enforcement personnel 
are exempt as are hunters 
and others carrying unloaded 
weapons under specified 
licensed circumstances. 

 This year, after open carry 
supporters began appearing in 
public with rifles and shotguns, 
the Assemblymember 
authored AB 1527, a measure 
that will prohibit individuals 
from openly displaying 
unloaded rifles and shotguns 
in public. This bill also has the 
support of the Police Chiefs 
Association and is currently 
making its way through the 
Assembly.

 
Officials are looking for 
individuals of all genders, 
shapes, ages, and persuasion, 
to test their fate to become 
the next Doo Dah Queen. 
Contestants are judged by 
former queens, and another 
hundred or so parade entrants, 
tryout supporters, Legion 
members, and the curious 
public. 

 The town-hall setting 
includes, crock pot chili, and 
legendary Doo Dah House 
Band, Snotty Scotty and the 
Hankies. Past contestants 
include, Count Smokula, 
Santa’s Bad Elf, belly dancer, 
Narayana, a smoking Amy 
Winehouse, Queen Mother 
Teresa Kennedy, the Swami 
from El Monte, Second-Hand 
Rose Queen among many 
others.

Last year judges selected 
Red Rosie, a 17-year old who 
transformed from school girl 
to Wonder Woman in seconds 
while singing a Kaye Star song.

The cost is $5 and goes to 
Legion’s charity; 1st 20 queen 
hopefuls to arrive are free. To 
tryout call 626-590-1134. 

Occasional Pasadena Doo 
Dah Parade will be held on 
Saturday, April 28th stepping 
off at 11:00 a.m. on the streets 
of East Pasadena.

Chancellor 
Jack Scott 
to Hold Town 
Hall Meeting

Nicholas McGegan 
Conducts Symphony at 
Ambassador Auditorium

 California Community 
Colleges Chancellor Dr. Jack 
Scott will conduct a town 
hall meeting at Pasadena 
City College on March 22 to 
provide a “State of the State” 
report on the status of higher 
education in California. The 
event, which is co-sponsored 
by the Pasadena Area 
Community College District 
Board of Trustees and the PCC 
Academic Senate, will provide 
a discussion on how best to 
respond to the budget crisis.

 Scott will be available to 
answer questions by PCC 
students, faculty, and staff and 
members of the community 
about the impact of the budget 
cuts on districts statewide 
and the measures he is urging 
individual districts to take. He 
will also share his personal 
perspective on the importance 
of the Student Success Task 
Force recommendations that 
are currently being considered 
by the California State 
Legislature.

 The Board of Governors of 
the California Community 
Colleges unanimously selected 
Scott as the 14th chancellor 
of the California Community 
Colleges in 2008. 

 A member of the State 
Legislature since 1996, Dr. 
Scott represented California’s 
21st Senatorial District, which 
includes Pasadena, Glendale, 
and Burbank; a portion of 
the city of Los Angeles, and 
other surrounding cities and 
communities. Prior to being 
elected to the State Legislature, 
Dr. Scott was president of 
PCC beginning in 1987. 
The hallmark of Dr. Scott’s 
presidency was the launching 
and completion of a $100 
million master plan to meet 
the college’s needs into the 21st 
century. 

 Scott announced his 
retirement earlier this year and 
will officially leave his position 
as chancellor in September of 
2012.

 The town hall begins at noon 
in PCC’s Sexson Auditorium. 
Free parking will be available 
in lots 6 and 7. Please call 
(626) 585-7211 for more 
information.

 

 Grammy nominated 
conductor Nicholas 
McGegan brings his unique 
artistic approach to the 
Pasadena Symphony in an 
extraordinary concert of 
Mozart and Beethoven on 
March 31 at 2 and 8 pm at 
Ambassador Auditorium. 
The concert features one 
of Beethoven’s towering 
achievements – the mighty 
Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”, 
plus Mozart’s Piano Concerto 
No. 20, which Beethoven 
revered above all others 
for its elegance, beauty and 
tenderness performed by 
award winning Armenian 
pianist Nareh Arghamanyan, 
as well as Mendelssohn’s Fair 
Melusina Overture.

 “If Nicholas McGegan is 
conducting,” raved the Los 
Angeles Times, “closing 
your eyes means missing 
something vital. Musicians 
respond instantly and the 
music springs into life and 
stays alive.” Gramophone 
describes the internationally 
renowned Maestro’s 
performances as “aural 
luxuriance.”

 Maestro McGegan, known 
for his infectious and 
exuberant approach on the 
podium, has a characteristic 
unique amongst many of his 
peers in the classical field: he 
conducts without a baton. 
In a recent interview, he 
discussed how he interacts 
with his musicians: ‘I’m not 
working with them. I’m 
having fun with them.”

 He is loved by audiences 
and orchestras for 
performances that match 
authority with enthusiasm, 
scholarship with joy, and 
curatorial responsibility 
with evangelical exuberance. 
“The musicians of the 
Pasadena Symphony are 
counted among the finest 
ensemble players to be found 
anywhere. I am so looking 
forward to our collaboration,” 
says McGegan.

 The 2011-12 classics 
series marks the Pasadena 
Symphony’s second season 
as the resident professional 
orchestra of the historic 
Ambassador Auditorium. 
Tickets to Beethoven’s Epic 
Eroica on Saturday, March 
31 at 2:00pm and 8:00pm 
begin at $35 and may be 
purchased by visiting www.
PasadenaSymphony-Pops.
org, calling 626.793.7172 
or onsite on the day of the 
concert.


Holden 
to Hold 
Community 
Meeting

 

 Pasadena City Councilman 
Chris Holden will host 
a District 3 community 
meeting Thursday, March 22, 
from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Jackie 
Robinson Center, 1020 N. 
Fair Oaks Ave.

 Topics will include 
potential restructuring of 
the Northwest Commission 
and updates on the Heritage 
Square development project 
and the Robinson Park 108 
loan.

 Presenters will include 
Assistant City Manager 
Steve Mermell and Housing 
Director William Huang, 
who will also answer 
questions from constituents.

For more information 
contact District 3 Field 
Representative Jacqueline 
McIntyre at jmcintyre@
cityofpasadena.net or (626) 
744-4738.


Citizen 
Journalism 
Meet-up

Pet of 
the Week

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

 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. 20 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.

 Raider is a 13-year-old 
black and tan Dachshund. 
He’s a little bit overweight 
so an active and attentive 
family would be great for 
him. Other than that, he’s a 
very sweet older guy. 

 Raider’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. He’s also 
eligible for the Seniors for 
Seniors program in which 
adopters, 60 years old or 
older, only pay the $20 
mandatory microchip fee. 
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 
A303097, 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.

LitFest Pasadena Re-
Scheduled Due to Rain 

 The Pasadena area’s first 
community-wide book festival-
LitFest Pasadena —previously 
scheduled for Saturday, March 
17, in Central Park— has been 
re-scheduled due to the forecast 
of heavy rain this weekend.

 LitFest Pasadena’s new date is 
Saturday, May 12, from 9:30am 
to 5:00pm in Central Park. All 
of what was in store for this 
weekend and more will be 
offered at this inaugural event 
in Pasadena! To support the 
upcoming event or to find out 
more, please contact us.

LifFest Pasadena will be a 
celebratory day of readings 
and panel discussions featuring 
well-known local and California 
authors, hands-on activities for 
young people, good food, better 
books, and great fun, all aimed 
at promoting the literary arts. 
Attendees can look forward to 
an irreverent and informative 
festival that incorporates 
theater, music, poetry, and 
more. Some of L.A.’s hottest 
gourmet food trucks, courtesy 
of Chefs Center, will be located 
along Raymond Avenue, and 
public parking is under the Gold 
Line Del Mar Station directly 
across the street from Central 
Park, a comfortable green space 
between Raymond and Fair 
Oaks Avenues just south of the 
historic Castle Green.

 Panel discussions will explore 
topics such as 21Century Noir; 
The Rise of the Graphic Novel; 
Local L. A. Publishers: Where 
New York Dominates, L.A. 
Innovates; The L.A. Canvas; and 
History, Fiction...Truth?

 Authors will include Pulitzer 
Prize-winner Jonathan Gold; 
novelists Mona

Simpson, Michelle Huneven 
and Lian Dolan; L.A.’s unofficial 
poet laureate, Wanda Coleman; 
poet and Young Adult author 
Ron Koertge; scholar and 
Libros Schmibros founder 
David Kipen; and L.A. mystery 
writer Denise Hamilton. More 
than 25 publishers and vendors 
will have books by these and 
other authors available for sale 
at the event.

 A children’s area will feature 
storytelling, Shakespearean 
actors from Foshay Learning 
Center, and a Quidditch 
demonstration!

 For more information visit 
litfestpasadena.org 

Free Women’s Day Event 

 

 An International Women’s 
Day event Tuesday, 
March 20, at 6 p.m. will 
include a screening of the 
documentary film “Miss 
Representation” and the 
launch of the 2012 Survival 
Guide.

 The event will take place in 
The Piazza of the Campus 
Center Building CC at 
Pasadena City College, 1570 
E. Colorado Blvd.

 The 2012 Survival Guide, 
published by the Pasadena 
Commission on the Status 
of Women, features local 
resources for emergency 
food, shelter, child care, 
health care, housing, 
legal assistance, women’s 
organizations, afterschool 
programs and other 
information. The free guide, 
in English and Spanish, will 
be distributed at the event. 

 “Miss Representation,” 
written and directed by 
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, 
proposes that mainstream 
media contribute to the 
underrepresentation of 
women in positions of power 
and influence in the U.S. The 
film includes narratives from 
teenage girls and interviews 
with politicians, journalists, 
entertainers, activists and 
academics. 

 Sponsored by the Pasadena 
Commission on the Status 
of Women, Pasadena City 
College Feminist Club 
and the Greater Pasadena 
Chapter of the National 
Women’s Political Caucus, 
the event is free and open to 
the public.

 For more information call 
(626) 744-6530.

Community 
Discussion with 
Geraldine Brooks

 To celebrate 10 years of 
Pasadena’s One City, One 
Story community reading 
project, the public is invited to 
a conversation with Geraldine 
Brooks, author of this year’s 
selected novel “People of the 
Book,” Thursday, March 22, at 
7 p.m. in the sanctuary at All 
Saints Church, 132 N. Euclid. 
Ave.

 Library Director Jan Sanders 
will moderate the discussion, 
which will include questions 
from the audience. Everyone 
is encouraged to bring their 
copies of “People of the Book” 
for Brooks to sign following 
the discussion; books will be 
available for purchase as well. 
The event is free and open to 
the public.

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