Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 16, 2012

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Mountain Views-News Saturday June 16, 2012 

ARCADIA POLICE BLOTTER

LAZZARETTO SPEAKS TO CHAMBER by Joan Schmidt

 Recently I attended the 
monthly Government 
Affairs Forum at the Arcadia 
Chamber of Commerce 
where much information 
was provided. The Guest 
Speaker was Dominic 
Lazzaretto, the new City 
Manager of the City of 
Arcadia. His father was also 
a City Manager and Dominic 
is very excited to come to 
Arcadia, a strong thriving 
business community. In 
2011, a budget was adopted 
with a $900,000 deficit, but 
he hopes to end the year with 
an $800,000 surplus. He 
mentioned the management 
team is phenomenal, and it 
was easy to step into his new 
position. He spoke of the 
death of the Redevelopment 
Agency and how it has 
hurt Arcadia, as well as all 
surrounding cities. Arcadia 
has a pro-active approach 
to redevelopment with 
continual outreach with 
the business community 
and concentration on local 
programs, working with 
downtown businesses. 
Arcadia has spent money 
in its community, so its 
situation is not as bad as 
other cities. 

 Mr. Lazzaretto went on, 
“Arcadia is a fantastic city. 
We plan to keep it that way...
to make it a little better each 
day, to exceed expectations 
every day.”

 Other plans this summer 
include an adoption of the 
Capital Improvement Plan 
by the City Council. Also, 
many residents may not 
realize that ALL cities have 
to sell all Redevelopment 
Agency-acquired properties 
because there are no more 
Redevelopment Agencies. 
This was the second reason 
everyone was upset when 
the Redevelopment Agencies 
had to be disbanded! There’s 
worry that properties will be 
sold and be vacant for several 
months as owners are either 
out-of-state or even out-of-
country.

 After Mr. Lazzaretto’s 
informative presentation, 
other information was 
shared. Hovanes Gasparian 
told us that Assemblyman 
Anthony Portantino’s Tattoo 
Removal Bill AB 1956 
“Help for Women Branded 
by Pimps” was approved 
by the State Assembly and 
now moves to the Senate for 
Approval.

 There had been a special 
“Welcome Home” planned 
for “I’ll Have Another” during 
which Mayor Bob Harbicht 
was going to present a 
special certificate. However, 
because of the champion’s 
injury, it won’t happen. His 
retirement ceremony was 
held at Hollywood Park 
instead. Of course everyone 
was upset and thought 
there was a Triple Crown 
Winner in California. But 
at least the injury is not life-
threatening, so he will go 
into retirement and perhaps 
sire a champion! One 
interesting item mentioned 
was how the champ’s name 
was chosen, not referring to 
another drink, but a cookie! 
The owner’s wife likes to 
bake cookies! The owner was 
sitting on the couch, when 
his wife walked by with a 
plate of cookies and he said, 
“I’ll Have Another.” 

 Rodrigo Gonzalez gave 
an update on the Metro 
Gold Line Project. There is 
an opportunity to meet the 
Station artists at one of three 
upcoming community open 
houses. Arrive anytime, no 
formal presentation planned. 
The same information will be 
presented at all three events.

 Wednesday, June 20, 
2012 - Memorial Park 
Gymnasium, 320 N. Orange 
Place, Azusa, 5:30- 7:30 p.m.

 Tuesday, June 26, 2012 
- Arcadia Library (Cay 
Mortenson Auditorium, 
20 W. Duarte Rd. Arcadia, 
5:30-7:30 p.m.

 Thursday, June 28, 2012, 
Duarte Community Center, 
1600 Drive, Duarte, 5:30-
7:30 p.m.

 Becky Cheng and Rita 
Medina, representing 
Congress Member, Judy Chu 
came to the meeting for the 
first time. They introduced 
themselves because, since 
the redistricting, some 
residents under David Drier 
will now in her newly-
formed 27th district. (I live 
in south Monrovia, so I 
will be in the 32nd district! I 
have kept my voting booklet 
because the back pages listed 
the various candidates for 
the newly formed districts!) 

 Richard Roche, Director 
of External Affairs for AT&T 
came to the meeting. It was 
probably fifteen years since I 
last saw him and his family. 
His young daughters are 
now a high school senior 
and recent college graduate! 
Rich has many Arcadia 
business friends and was 
given a warm welcome by 
everyone.

For the period of Sunday, June 3rd, through Saturday, 
June 9th, the Police Department responded to 1,011 
calls for service of which 119 required formal 
investigations. The following is a summary report 
of the major incidents handled by the Department 
during this period.

Sunday, June 3:

1. At approximately 4:30 p.m., an officer 
responded to Arcadia High School, 180 Campus 
Drive, regarding a suspicious circumstances 
report. The officer located two juveniles of which 
one was carrying a glass bottle filled with gasoline. 
An investigation revealed the juveniles were 
attempting to commit arson. The 14-year-old 
Korean male and 15-year-old Asian male were 
arrested, transported to the Arcadia City Jail for 
booking, and later released to their parents. 
2. Around 9:36 p.m., an officer responded 
to Nordstrom at the Santa Anita Mall, 400 South 
Baldwin Avenue, in reference to a theft report. A 
female suspect concealed various merchandise 
inside her purse and exited the store without 
making payment. An investigation revealed she 
was also in possession of stolen merchandise 
from Macy’s. The 37-year-old Chinese female was 
arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail 
for booking. 


Monday, June 4:

3. At about 4:14 a.m., officers were dispatched 
to AM PM, 625 West Las Tunas Drive, in regards 
to a hit and run involving a drunk pedestrian. 
The subject explained he was run over by the rear 
wheels of a tractor trailer; however, store video 
surveillance revealed the subject intentionally 
threw himself under the truck. The 20-year-old 
Hispanic male was arrested for Public Intoxication 
and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for 
booking after he received medical clearance. 
4. Shortly after 8:25 a.m., officers responded 
to Yuexin Global Logistics, 800 West Duarte 
Road, in regards to a burglary report. Unknown 
suspect(s) forced entry through a locked deadbolt 
and fled with two laptop computers, a computer 
server, and other valuables. No one heard or saw 
anything suspicious. 


Tuesday, June 5:

5. Around 5:07 a.m., an officer observed a 
large amount of smoke coming from the southeast 
corner of Santa Anita Avenue and Duarte Road. 
As he came across an alley way, he discovered a 
parked trailer was fully engulfed in flames. Arcadia 
Fire Department responded to the scene and 
extinguished the fire. No evidence of arson was 
located. 
6. At approximately 6:00 p.m., officers 
were dispatched to Arcadia Methodist Hospital 
regarding a battery that took place at 24 Hour 
Fitness, 125 North First Street. The victim 
explained another player became too aggressive 
while playing basketball and threw a ball at his 
face. After a physical fight ensued, the other player 
bit him in the back twice. The suspect is described 
as a black male adult, 5’9” tall, 180 to 200 lbs., 
athletic build with tattoos on his arms. 


 

Wednesday, June 6:

7. At about 8:10 a.m., an officer was 
dispatched to a two-party traffic collision on 
Huntington Drive, west of Morlan Place. An 
investigation revealed party-one failed to stop for 
slowing traffic and struck the vehicle in front of 
her. No injuries were reported. 
8. At approximately 10:06 p.m., an officer 
conducted a traffic stop on a Toyota for a warrant 
attached to the license plate, in the area of 
Highland Oaks Avenue and Sycamore Avenue. 
Upon contact with the driver, the officer noticed a 
strong odor of marijuana emitting from inside the 
vehicle. A vehicle search revealed the 18-year-old 
White male was in possession of marijuana and 
alcoholic beverages. He was cited and released in 
the field. 


Thursday, June 7:

9. Shortly after 9:20 a.m., an officer 
responded to the 100 block of Alice Street 
regarding a theft from a vehicle report. The victim 
left her purse on the front passenger seat while she 
walked her son to school. When she returned, she 
discovered her front driver side window smashed 
and her Louis Vuitton purse missing. No one saw 
or heard anything suspicious. 
10. At about 2:58 p.m., an officer was 
dispatched to H&M at the Santa Anita Mall, 
400 South Baldwin Avenue, in reference to a 
theft report. A female suspect concealed several 
items inside a used shopping bag and exited the 
store without making payment. An investigation 
revealed she also stole from Zumies and Spencers. 
The 15-year-old Hispanic female was arrested, 
transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking, 
and later released to her mother. 


Friday, June 8:

11. Shortly after midnight, officers located 
a damaged mailbox in the 500 block of West 
Longden Avenue. Further inspection revealed 
six other houses in the area had the same type 
of damage. None of the residents knew their 
mailboxes had been vandalized and they did not 
see anyone suspicious in the area. 



Duarte Accepting Applications to Fill Opening On 
Economic Development Commission

The City of Duarte is accepting applications to fill one position on its Economic Development (EDC) 
Commission. The term expiration is Dec. 31, 2013.

 Duarte citizens interested in serving on the commission will have until Monday, July 2, 2012 
at 6 p.m. to apply. Applications must be submitted to the City Manager’s Office at Duarte City Hall, 
1600 Huntington Dr. Application forms are available at City Hall, or on the City’s website: www.
accessduarte.com. City Council members will interview applicants beginning at 6 p.m. on July 10. The 
appointment will be announced at the next City Council meeting on July 24. The new commissioner 
will begin his or her term starting with the August EDC commission meeting. 

 The Economic Development Commission works with city staff in monitoring, evaluating and 
recommending modifications to the economic development program, which is aimed at attracting 
new businesses, retaining existing businesses, and stimulating the expansion of existing businesses 
within the City of Duarte. Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 pm in the 
Community Center. 

 For more information about how to apply for this commission or city commissions in general, 
call the Duarte City Manager’s office at (626) 357-7931, ext. 221.

PLANNING COMMISSIONER AND FORMER MAYOR 
ERIC FAITH RETIRES AFTER 38 YEARS OF SERVICE

 

 
Eric Faith began his service with the City of Monrovia in 1974, serving on the City Council for the 
first 10 years and going on to serve on the Planning Commission for the following 28 years! 

 From 1974-1984, Eric served on the Monrovia City Council. Taking his first elected position as 
Mayor, he became (at that time) the youngest Mayor in the State of California. In 1984, Eric was 
appointed to the Planning Commission and served tirelessly until his final Planning Commission 
meeting on June 13, 2012.

 Eric’s service to the community cannot be overstated. When he came to office as an elected official in 
1974, Monrovia was suffering from a downtown that was nearly vacant. Businesses could not get out 
of town fast enough. Change was needed and that change came in the form of a “team of three” who 
ran for City Council seats and won. Together they helped initiate the change that led to Monrovia 
becoming a City envied by many of the surrounding communities. In addition to Eric the “team of 
three” consisted of former Mayors Bob Bartlett and Pat Ostrye. 

 Both Bob and Pat were in attendance at Eric’s last meeting, each taking the podium to share a few 
fun and meaningful memories of their time as the “team of three.” Steve Baker, City Treasurer and 
Monrovia City Historian, read a letter that elaborated on the impact Eric has had on the community. 
We ALL wish Eric the best. He leaves a very big void to fill.

 Congratulations to Eric and a big thank you from the current and past City Employees who had the 
privilege to work with him.


DUARTE HIGH SCHOOL STADIUM FACILITY

GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY By Joan Schmidt

 
On Wednesday, the official ground-breaking ceremony 
for the new stadium at Duarte High school was held. 
Dr. Terry Nichols, Superintendent welcomed all present 
and acknowledged all the above-mentioned dignitaries 
, Brian Mejia from Supervisor Antonovich’s office, and 
Kristi Lopez from Assemblyman Portantino’s office. 
He said that today was a “dream come true,” and the 
“beginning of a new era.” 

 The keynote speaker was School Board President 
Reyna Diaz. Ms. Diaz told everyone this project 
happened because of the vision of School Board 
member, Frank Figueroa. She spoke of the hard work 
of many people. The principals stayed after school 
and worked for hours. These were tough economic 
times; families didn’t have a lot of money. But the 
entire community was able to see the wonderful vision 
and the property tax, Measure E was approved by the 
voters. There also was mention of past school board 
member, Ed Fergusson. (He and his wife Helen are the 
parents of Council Member Margaret Finlay.) While 
Ed was on the school board, back in 1997, the First 
Bond Issue was passed. 

 School Board Vice President Ken Bell said this is a 
“Day of Celebration” and Duarte will have the “Best 
stadium in the San Gabriel Valley.”

 School Board Member Frank Figueroa felt that “On 
this great day of celebration, we need to reflect on the 
past.” All great things “begin with a thought, a dream.” 
Frank went on to acknowledge “Ed Fergusson who 
had a vision how great Duarte could be. He has been a 
mentor, doesn’t take credit, not in the limelight.”

 Brian Mejia from Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s 
office came up to the platform and presented 
a Certificate , followed by Kristi Lopez from 
Assemblyman Portantino’s office. Kristi called up 
a cheerleader, football player and band member to 
accept the Certificate. They were thrilled.

 Dr. Nichols then introduced the Construction Team 
and gave an overview of the entire project. The crew 
includes Mr. Brad Patterson, Senior Director, DUSD; 
WLC Architects, Inc., represented by Don Rice; 
Vanir Construction Management, Inc., represented 
by Moshir Kellada; and Contractor, Bryon Davey 
Construction, represented by John Peris.

 Dr. Nichols relayed that the stadium is only the 
first phase of projects from Measure E and should 
be complete in 2013. Other projects include a new 
cafeteria and locker room facilities for Northview 
Middle School, a new building for Maxwell, new 
environmental science lab, a new weight room, 
remodeled woodshop and new culinary arts room.