DON’T FORGET: Monday, May 21 IS THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE FOR THE JUNE 5TH PRIMARY

SATURDAY MAY 19, 2012

VOLUME 6 NO 20

PINNEY HOUSE APPROVED 

May Join the Jailhouse Inn as a Sierra Madre Bed and Breakfast Inn

Soon, Sierra Madre may have two Bed and Breakfast Inns and they will both have something in common. Both are unique 
new uses of historical facilities. The Jailhouse Inn, located at 55 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., was once the City Jail! (www.
jailhouseinn.net/). The Pinney House (www.pinneyhouse.com) was formerly Hotel Sierra Madre.

 Greg and Judy Asbury, owners of the Pinney House, appeared before the Sierra Madre Planning Commission this week 
and were granted the right to use the house as a Bed and Breakfast Inn. The property was originally built as a 30 room 
hotel over 125 years ago by Dr. Elbert Pinney. Designed by the well known Victorian architects, Samuel and Joseph 
Cather Newsom in elegant Queen Anne style, the Pinney House is one of the last remaining examples of the carriage trade 
hotels, serving those coming from the East to buy land during the land boom of Los Angeles in 1885-1888. 

The Asbury’s, who acquired the property in 2003, spent the next eight years restoring the house with the hopes that 
the city would allow it to be used as a Bed and Breakfast Inn. During the restoration, they dedicated their resources 
to keeping as close to the spirit of a Victorian hotel as possible. Today, the 10,000 sq ft “house” has six large Victorian 
bedroom and bath suites, a garden suite, a conservatory, a library, a parlor, a sitting room, a, sitting room/office, a formal 
dining room, farmhouse kitchen and a loft-like attic penthouse. Once the project was completed, they applied to the 
commission for permission.

 The Planning Commission’s decision to grant a Conditional Use Permit was done after extension review of the potential 
impact of a Bed and Breakfast on the community. Parking, noise and capacity were among the issues addressed. Several 
changes were requested which included the addition of two parking spaces in the rear, a limit to only six luxury suites 
and no more than six outside events on the premises per year. Given that the overall ambience of a Bed and Breakfast 
Inn is tranquil, it is anticipated that the new use of the Pinney House will blend homogenously with the surrounding 
community, and the commission granted the use permit. The commission did require , however, that the owners appear 
before the commission in a year for another review.

 Currently, the house is being offered for sale at $2,795,000. The house has a total of 10 bedrooms, 11 baths, 10,000 square 
feet of living space and sits on .47 acres at 225 N. Lima. It is hoped that if sold, the new owners will operate the house as 
a Bed and Breakfast Inn.

 For more information on the Pinney House, go to www.pinneyhouse.com or contact Judy Webb-
Martin or Katie Orth at Podley Properties, Judy.Webb-Martin@podley.com or Katie.Orth@prodley.com


GUILTY VERDICT DELIVERED IN DEATH 
OF FORMER AREA RESIDENT by S. Henderson

 The man accused of causing the 
death of former Arcadia resident 
Joan Milazzo in August last year, 
was found guilty in a San Diego 
Court earlier this week. Lawrence 
Joseph Farry, 25, was convicted 
of Gross Vehicular Manslaughter 
and will be sentenced in early 
June.

 Farry, who remained at the scene 
of the accident, pleaded not guilty 
and admitted that he was speeding 
at approximately 56 mph. 
According to the evidence introduced 
at trial, Farry was actually 
traveling at 87 mph.

 Milazzo was struck and killed in 
the Del Sur area of North County 
San Diego. Milazzo, her husband 
and sister were hiking in an area 
near their development. 

 According to a Press Release 
from the San Diego County Medical 
Examiner’s office, “They were 
crossing Camino Del Sur Road 
when a vehicle traveling on the 
southbound lane at a high rate of 
speed lost control and skidded into the decedent as she stepped onto the curb. 
The decedent was struck and fell to the ground. Bystanders called 911 and assisted 
with CPR. Medics transported the decedent to Scripps La Jolla Hospital 
with blunt force trauma and she was pronounced dead when resuscitative efforts 
were to no avail.

 Milazzo and her husband had just moved there to join family only a few months 
prior from Arcadia. 

 Milazzo grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, and graduated from Alverno High 
School in Sierra Madre. She was previously a member of St. Rita Catholic Parish 
in Sierra Madre.


2012 MT. WILSON TRAIL RACE PARTICIPANTS 
ARE READY TO GO!

Saturday, May 26 marks the 104th anniversary of the running of the historic Mt. Wilson 
Trail Race, a grueling 8.6-mile test up to Orchard Camp and back to Kersting Court. 
Emerson Gray, a student of Sierra Madre Middle School, will sing the national anthem 
before the race. Race time is 7:30A.

 That the race sold out in under eight hours this year is evidence of the event’s popularity 
over recent years. Runners and hikers come far and wide to run the Mt. Wilson Trail 
Race, which is one of Trail Runner Magazine’s Trophy Series events. But the roster includes 
a high percentage of Sierra Madre residents as well.

 The Mt. Wilson Trail Race Committee wants the race and its related activities to be a 
celebration of the trail, encouraging friends and family to gather in Kersting Court to 
see the runners off and welcome them back to town after their 2,100 foot ascent to the 
halfway point on Mt. Wilson.

 The public is invited to the pasta dinner held from 5:30P to 7:30P in Kersting Court 
the night before the race. On race day, there will be a kids’ art show, music, all kinds of 
booths, a 1-mile kids’ race that goes up Baldwin Avenue and back and a beer and wine 
garden. Proceeds from the pasta dinner and the beer garden go to Sierra Madre Search 
& Rescue, which will be looking after the runners’ safety while they are on the mountain. 
All kids running the Kids’ Race will receive a T-shirt featuring the artwork by Sierra 
Madre Elementary school student Isaiah Raya.

 Local trail enthusiast Dr. William White is the honorary race starter.

 For more information, call the Community Services Department at 626-355-5278.

SIERRA MADRE CIVIC CLUB AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS TO TEN LOCAL STUDENTS

By Christine Bachwansky 

Family and friends looked on proudly 
during the ceremony held at the Hart 
House in Memorial Park as ten local 
students were awarded scholarships by 
the Sierra Madre Civic Club. 

Committee co-chairs Dorothy 
Jerneycic and Joan Crow, along with 
committee members Kathleen Coyne 
and Mary Beth Knox all agreed that this 
year’s applicants were all outstanding 
in their scholastic achievements and 
their activities in the arts, sports, 
and community service. Dorothy, a 
retired teacher, remarked, “I wouldn’t 
mind spending more time with these 
students. They must have 36 hours in 
each day to have accomplished all they 
do.”

Recipients are (in alphabetical order by 
first name): 

Andrew Lymes attends Marshall 
Fundamental and will be pursuing a 
career in Environmental Science at 
Brigham Young University.

Camille Torres of Sierra Madre 
attends LaSalle and has an interest in 
Languages. She wants to be a fund-
raiser like her mother.

Conner Spears of Pasadena attends 
Pasadena High School and will be 
studying to be a marine biologist.

Elizabeth Bickel of Glendora High 
loves music, languages, and aspires to 
be a math professor.

Madeline Pirrone, who attends 
Pasadena High School, has a double 
major in business and education 
and dreams of becoming a 4th grade 
teacher at a local elementary school.

Matt Soffers, Loyola High School, has 
been a life guard at the pool for 3 years 
and will be studying nursing at Loyola 
University in Chicago. He wants to be a 
firefighter/paramedic. 

Michael Wheelock of Sierra Madre will 
be attending U.C. Davis has plans to 
become a child psychiatrist specializing 
in mental disorders such as ADD and 
ADHD.

Natalie Hale has been admitted to 
the nursing program at Azusa Pacific 
University. She hopes to one day be a 
nurse in the operating room.

Vivika Rechtschaffen of Sierra Madre 
plays the violin and has appeared with 
Barry Manilow and Natalie Cole. She 
has plans to attend culinary school and 
become a pastry chef.

Yasmine Ibrahim of Alverno High 
School is going into biology with an 
emphasis in pre-med at UCLA. She 
wants to be a pediatric oncologist.

All of these students have been active in 
student body, sports, and arts programs 
with achievements too numerous to list 
here, and have distinguished themselves 
with their many success. The Sierra 
Madre Civic Club is happy to recognize 
these outstanding students and to help 
further their dreams by granting these 
awards. Congratulations all!


This Week’s Highlights:

CONGRESSIONAL, ASSEMBLY AND SENATE 

CANDIDATE FORUM THIS TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012

 The Sierra Madre Kiwanis Club will sponsor a candidates forum at The Lodge (former 
Masonic Temple) 33 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre on Tuesday, May 22nd. Lunch 
will be served at 11:30 am, the forum will begin at noon. Lunch is $10. The Forum is 
free. For reservations call 626-355-0728. Come and listen to the candidates that want 
to represent you in Washington & Sacramento. See newly drawn districts on pg. 16

Calendar Page 2

Sierra Madre News Page 3

San Gabriel Valley Page 4

Arcadia Page 6

Monrovia/Duarte Page 7

Education and Youth Page 8

Good Food and Drink Page 9

Arts & Entertainment Page 10

The World Around Us Page 11

The Good Life Page 12

Homes & Property Page 13

Sports Page 14

Legal Notices Pgs. 18-21

Niko and Friends Café 
900 Valley View #6, Pasadena, CA 
Almost in Sierra Madre – we are in the East End! 
On the N Michillinda/Montecito Corner 
Monday to Friday: 7 am to 6 pm. Saturday: 8:30 am to 1:30 pm, Closed on Sunday 
626-510-6151 
.... 
www.NikoandFriendscafe.com 
No Gimmicks! 
Just Good Coffee! 
Arf, woof, woof! 
My dad and I like coming to Niko’s for Coffee! 
Read The Paper Online At: www.mtnviewsnews.com