Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 4, 2012

4


Mountain Views-News Saturday August 4, 2012 


Bill Urged to Prevent Abuse 
in Youth Boot Camps

POLICE TO 
THROW 
NATIONAL 
NIGHT OUT 
PARTY

710 Meeting 
To Be Held 
At The 

Convention 
Center

 State Senator Carol Liu, 
Assemblymember Anthony 
Portantino, and Pasadena 
Chief of Police Phillip Sanchez 
announced Tuesday legislation 
that will prevent abuse at 
military-style youth “boot 
camps.” 

 SB 1089 would ensure 
organizations that provide 
aggressive military style 
behavioral treatment services 
for at-risk youth do not operate 
unless all components of the 
program are accredited by 
an independent accrediting 
organization approved by the 
Department of Social Services 
according to a statement 
released the same day.

 The statement went on to 
say that disturbing videos of a 
Pasadena boot camp surfaced 
earlier this year and showed 
instructors mistreating young 
people by making them drink 
water until they vomited and 
bringing a child to his knees by 
forcing him to carry a tire around 
his neck. The graphic videos 
sparked an investigation by the 
Pasadena Police Department, 
which charged the camp 
director with kidnapping, child 
abuse, false imprisonment, and 
sexual assault. Senator Liu and 
Assemblymember Portantino 
responded by introducing SB 
1089, to ensure proper licensing 
and regulation of boot camp 
providers. 

 “We discovered that a small 
number of boot camp-style 
programs in California are 
operating without licensing 
and putting vulnerable kids 
and their families at risk.” said 
Liu, D-La Canada Flintridge 
and Chair of the Senate Human 
Services Committee. “Families 
have entrusted camp staff to 
provide a healthy, safe and 
supportive environment. We 
have seen that, without proper 
oversight, these kids are put at 
great risk of abuse and trauma.” 

 Portantino, stated, “It’s vital 
that when we send our children 
away from home they are being 
treated safely and fairly. I am 
pleased to join Senator Liu in 
authoring a bill that brings 
accountability to this previously 
unregulated industry. As a 
father of two daughters, how 
could I not want other parents’ 
sons and daughters to be in a 
safe environment, especially 
when receiving the tough love 
of a boot camp?” 

 “The Pasadena Police 
Department fully supports SB 
1089, in the protection of our 
youth. This legislation will help 
regulate and provide parents 
with licensed boot camp 
choices that will assist them 
in enriching the lives of their 
children,” said Chief of Police 
Phillip L. Sanchez. 

 The Pasadena City Council 
is set to hold a meeting over 
the long debated “SR-710 
Study” project—extending the 
710 freeway from Alhambra 
to Pasadena— off-site from 
the Council Chambers at City 
Hall to accommodate a larger 
audience.

 The meeting, Monday, Aug. 
13, is scheduled to begin at 
6:30 p.m. at the Pasadena 
Convention Center, 300 E. 
Green St., in the Conference 
Building, Rooms101-105, on 
the lower level. 

According to city staff, the 
current SR-710 Study is in an 
early phase of analysis. The Los 
Angeles County Metropolitan 
Transportation Authority 
(Metro) is the lead local agency 
for the study. The California 
Department of Transportation 
(Caltrans) is the lead state 
agency. While Pasadena, its 
residents and businesses will be 
directly impacted if the project 
is built, the project is not under 
local control by the City, a press 
announcement stated 

 It went on saying that 
Information from Metro’s 
website indicates the project is 
in a pre-Draft Environmental 
Impact Report (EIR) stage. 
Metro is working with technical 
advisors, the public and other 
stakeholders to help determine 
alternative concepts and 
routes for further study and 
environmental analysis. Metro’s 
schedule shows it plans to begin 
writing the Draft EIR later this 
year and to have Public Hearings 
on the document completed by 
the end of 2013.

 A primary goal of the project 
is to complete the I-710 
Freeway “gap” by building an 
extension through Pasadena 
that connects the freeway 
with other transportation 
corridors—including possible 
connections to the I-210 
Freeway or Highway 134—to 
help alleviate congestion and 
improve mobility in the overall 
study area bounded by State 
Route 2 and the Interstate 10, 
210 and 605 Freeways. Options 
for the 4.5-mile “gap” include 
surface-level roadways as well 
as a tunnel bored underneath 
South Pasadena and Pasadena. 
Caltrans has sought since the 
1960s to build an I-710 Freeway 
connection route.

 In addition to the Council’s 
Aug. 13 meeting, the public can 
attend “Community Liaison 
Council” meetings hosted by 
Metro. A Community Liaison 
Council meeting in Pasadena 
is planned from 6:30 p.m. to 
7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 8 
at the Chef’s Center building, 
45 N. San Gabriel Blvd. Also 
on Aug. 8, another Community 
Liaison Council will be held 
from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. 
at the Alhambra Library, 101 
S. First St., Alhambra. Check 
Metro’s website at www.metro.
net/sr710study for updated 
information on times and 
locations for these meetings.

Community Liaison Council 
meetings are informal 
discussion groups hosted 
by Metro, but organized by 
interested members of the 
public. The sessions will include 
information about the status of 
the study and the alternative 
route process. For more 
information about Community 
Liaison Council meetings or to 
learn about organizing similar 
sessions, contact Metro by email 
to sr710study@metro.net.

 KPAS, the City’s government 
access TV station, will broadcast 
the meeting live on Channel 3 
for Charter cable subscribers 
and on Channel 99 on the AT&T 
U-verse system. The broadcast 
will be streamed live on the City’s 
website at www.cityofpasadena.
net/CouncilAgendas/Video 
and can be viewed by clicking 
the link that says “Watch KPAS 
Live.”

 Pasadena City Council member 
Steve Madison also plans to hold 
two meetings on the freeway 
project, including: District 6 
Forum—The 710 Freeway, 7:00 
p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Sept. 18, 
at the Pasadena Convention 
Center; and District 6 Quarterly 
Town Hall Meeting, 6:30 p.m. 
to 8:00 p.m., Sept. 25, Braun 
Auditorium, Westridge School, 
324 Madeline Drive.

 The Pasadena Police 
Department is joining 
other law-enforcement 
agencies and communities 
throughout the nation 
by throwing a city-wide 
“National Night Out” block 
party on Tuesday, August 
7th from 7 – 10 p.m. The 
Pasadena Police Department 
is inviting the community to 
participate and show their 
support of crime and drug 
prevention by organizing 
a simple neighborhood 
front yard party, potluck, 
or informal Neighborhood 
Watch Meeting on National 
Night Out.

 The police department is 
collaborating with Kings 
Villages and Community 
Arms to host the main 
event on Hammond Street, 
between Fair Oaks Avenue 
and Morton Avenue. There 
will be booths, vendors, 
activities, and food, from 
6:00 – 9:00 p.m. 

 The National Association 
of Town Watch, a non-
profit organization, 
designed National Night 
Out, “America’s Night 
Out Against Crime,” is to 
strengthen neighborhood 
spirits and police and 
community relationships. 
Additionally, it will heighten 
awareness and send a 
strong message to criminals 
that neighborhoods are 
organized, and are fighting 
back against drugs and 
crime.

 Pasadena Police 
representatives will 
visit as many registered 
neighborhood parties as 
possible. Residents, who 
would like to have a Pasadena 
Police representative stop 
by their “National Night 
Out” party, should simply 
contact the Community 
Services Section at (626) 
744-4551. Please contact 
the Community Services 
Section at 744-4551 for a 
list of scheduled Pasadena 
“National Night Out” events/
block parties.


Physicist Wins $3 Million 
Fundamental Physics Prize

 
Alexei Kitaev, professor of 
theoretical physics, computer 
science, and mathematics 
at the California Institute of 
Technology , has been named 
an inaugural winner of the 
Fundamental Physics Prize—a 
$3 million award that represents 
the largest academic prize given 
to an individual in the history 
of science.

 The prize, funded by Yuri 
Milner, a Russian entrepreneur 
and venture capitalist, was 
given with “the aim of 
providing the recipients with 
more freedom and opportunity 
to pursue even greater future 
accomplishments,” according 
to the Fundamental Physics 
Prize Foundation website. In 
addition to Kitaev, eight other 
physicists received the award, 
for a grand total of $27 million 
in prize money. The individual 
awards are more than twice 
what Nobel laureates receive, 
and that amount—about $1.2 
million—is often split among a 
few winners.

 “It was a great surprise and 
honor to learn that I was a 
recipient of the prize along 
with some very famous and 
renowned physicists,” says 
Kitaev. “At first, I was confused 
because I didn’t think that 
the money could be just for 
me—I assumed such a big prize 
would be shared among all the 
recipients. I feel very happy and 
extremely lucky.”

 Kitaev, a member of the 
new Institute for Quantum 
Information and Matter 
(IQIM) at Caltech, is known 
for developing algorithms and 
theories to enable quantum 
computing, which has the 
potential to perform in seconds 
certain tasks that would take an 
ordinary computer thousands 
of years to complete. The 
award citation recognized 
his “theoretical idea of 
implementing robust quantum 
memories and fault-tolerant 
quantum computation using 
topological quantum phases 
with anyons and unpaired 
Majorana modes.”

 “I’m delighted that Alexei is 
getting the recognition he so 
richly deserves for making the 
fundamental and profound 
contributions to one of the most 
exciting areas of fundamental 
physics,” says Tom Soifer, 
professor of physics and chair 
of the Division of Physics, 
Mathematics and Astronomy 
at Caltech. “His work is blazing 
the path toward what we hope 
will be the next major technical 
revolution in computing, 
the realization of quantum 
computers.”

 With a joint appointment 
at Caltech in the Division of 
Physics, Mathematics and 
Astronomy and the Division 
of Engineering and Applied 
Science, Kitaev explores 
the mysterious behavior of 
quantum systems and their 
implications for developing 
practical applications, such as 
quantum computers.

Women in 
Business 
Awards 
Luncheon

 Senator Liu, Assemblymember Portantino, and Chief Sanchez 
Urge Enactment of Bill to Prevent Abuse in Youth Boot Camps 

 

 

 The Pasadena Junior 
Public Safety Academy, 
JPSA, is a joint venture 
between the Pasadena Police 
and Fire Departments. In 
this program, 40 selected 
Pasadena young teens will 
participate in a five-day 
academy that will provide a 
form for them to interact with 
police and fire professionals 
while learning firsthand 
what these potential careers 
entail. 

 The participants will 
visit the Pasadena Police 
Department and learn 
about the various units such 
as K-9, SWAT, Forensics, 
Traffic, Dispatch, Jail and the 
Heliport. They will also visit 
a Pasadena Fire Department 
Fire Station to learn about 
fire safety techniques and 
basic firefighting training. 
The JPSA includes a visit to 
the Orange County Sheriff’s 
Academy and Training 
Center as well as the Los 
Angeles City Fire Boats 1 and 
2. The Junior Public Safety 
concludes with a graduation 
luncheon on Saturday. 

Junior Public 
Safety 
Academy 
graduation 
Saturday 

 The Thirteenth Annual 
Women in Business Legislative 
Update & Awards Luncheon 
will take place at the Pasadena 
Hilton on Friday, August 17, 
2012.

 The event will take place 
11:30 am – 1:30 pm.

 The Women in Business 
Awards honor local women 
whose exceptional abilities 
have contributed to the 
economic vitality and diversity 
of the 21st Senate District and/
or 43rd and 44th Assembly 
Districts.

 Women in Business celebrate 
women who have contributed 
to the greater good of the 
workforce through the 
advancement of business and 
the proliferation of new jobs 
while serving as role models 
for their community and co-
workers. Please help us to 
acknowledge women who are 
leading the way in the 21st 
Century.

 Tickets: $35 per person $350 
per table of 10.

 For more information or 
to purchase tickets to the 
luncheon, Contact Talin 
Mangioglu (818) 409-0400

Pet of 
the Week


Citizen 
Journalism 
Meet-up

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

 Banky is quite the charmer. 
He’s an eight-year-old blue 
and tan Chihuahua. He’s a staff 
and volunteer favorite, and has 
gone out on the Mobile Unit 
to several events around the 
community as an ambassador 
for PHS. He’s well-behaved; 
loves treats; and enjoys going 
for walks. He also enjoys 
playing with people and other 
dogs too! 

 Banky’s regular 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. 
Banky also qualifies for our 
Seniors for Seniors program, 
which applies toward adopters 
60 years old and older. The 
adoption fee is waived and all 
the adopter pays is $20 for the 
mandatory microchip. 

 Call the Pasadena 
Humane Society & SPCA at 
626.792.7151 to ask about 
A308975, or visit at 361 S. 
Raymond Ave. in Pasadena. 
Adoption hours are 11-4 
Sunday, 9-5 Tuesday –Friday, 
9-4 Saturday. 

 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. 7 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.

JPL/Mars 
Scientist to 
Keynote 
Awards

PCC Recognized In National 
Community College Survey

 

 Pasadena City College 
was recognized in multiple 
categories in the annual 
Community College Week 
special report featuring 
the top 100-degree and 
certificate producing two-
year institutions. Since 1988, 
Community College Week has 
been the independent source of 
in-depth information for and 
about two-year college faculty, 
administrators, and trustees.

 PCC was ranked 26th in nation 
for conferring the most associate 
degrees and certificates in all 
disciplines to men and women 
of color. Additionally, PCC was 
ranked third in the nation for 
conferring the most associate 
degrees and certificates in all 
disciplines to Asian Americans, 
and 46th in the nation for 
conferring the most associate 
degrees and certificates in all 
disciplines to Hispanics.

 In the discipline of “Multi/
Interdisciplinary Studies,” PCC 
ranked second in the nation for 
conferring the most associate 
degrees and certificates. Across 
all disciplines of study, PCC 
ranked 84th in the nation for 
conferring the most associate 
degrees and certificates.

 PCC ranked 91st in the nation 
for certificates conferred in 
less than two years across all 
disciplines, and 83rd in the 
nation for certificates conferred 
in less than one year across all 
disciplines.

For more details, please see the 
online edition of Community 
College Week Volume 24, 
Number 22: http://www.ccweek.
com/news/articlefiles/3101- 
CCW061112-Top100-All%20PagesR.pdf.

 For more information about 
PCC programs, call (626) 585-
7123.

Van Gogh’s ‘Self-Portrait,’ on 
Loan from the National Gallery

 Mars exploration and the 
landing of the rover Curiosity 
will be making news this 
August when JPL mission 
scientist Z. Nagin Cox 
headlines the 13th Annual 
Women in Business Awards 
and Legislative Update 
presented by Sen. Carol Liu, 
Assemblymember Mike 
Gatto and Assemblymember 
Anthony Portantino. 

 Nagin Cox spent years 
in solar exploration on the 
Keplar telescope mission 
before becoming supervisor 
for the Surface Systems at 
JPL. She is currently part of 
the NASA-JPL team working 
on the history-making Mars 
rover landing for early August. 
Nagin will update us on the 
“Curiosity” landing and the 
challenge of working on 
planetary missions.

 

 The Norton Simon Museum 
is delighted to announce an 
installation of Vincent van 
Gogh’s electrifying “Self-
Portrait” from 1889, a highlight 
of the National Gallery of Art’s 
19th-century collection. One 
of 36 self-portraits by Van 
Gogh, and among the last he 
painted, the work was executed 
as he recovered from a severe 
breakdown in Saint-Rémy in 
the summer of 1889.

 The installation at the Norton 
Simon Museum is the first time 
the painting has been on view on 
the West Coast. The loan is part 
of a special exchange program 
between the Norton Simon 
foundations and the National 
Gallery of Art, Washington, 
D.C., that brought Vermeer’s 
“A Lady Writing” and Raphael’s 
“Small Cowper Madonna” to 
the Simon in recent years. 

 “Van Gogh’s artistic skill and 
creativity long captivated Mr. 
Simon, and he collected several 
of the artist’s most impressive 
works. However, Mr. Simon was 
never able to purchase a self-
portrait,” said Norton Simon 
Museum President Walter 
Timoshuk. “This incredible 
loan from the National Gallery 
of Art gives us the opportunity 
to have such a work in our 
galleries for a few months, and 
allows our visitors a rare chance 
to view a Van Gogh self-portrait 
on the West Coast.”