Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 4, 2012

5

AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY

Mountain Views News Saturday August 4, 2012

“What’s Going On?” 

News and Views from Joan Schmidt

ARCADIA GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS FORUM

 
The August

Government Affairs 

Forum at Arcadia was 
awesome as always. 
First on the agenda were 
guest speakers, Arcadian 
entrepreneur Jack Orswell, 
Republican candidate for 
the 27th Congressional 
District and Fred Ortego, 
District Director for 
Democrat Congresswoman Judy Chu, 
seeking reelection.(Judy was in Washington, 
D.C. , as Congress is in session.)

 Jack Orswell had quite a cheering 
session; mom and stepdad, Lois and Dick 
Rosskopf, son Jeff, daughter-in-law Nicole, 
and granddaughter Josie. Peter Ulrech 
introduced Mr. Orswell : Born and raised 
in Pasadena; receive Bachelor’s Degree 
in Business Administration from USC in 
1971; in April 73, became a Special Agent 
with the FBI and worked there fifteen years; 
small business owner for 22 years; in 2009, 
received Master’s Degree in Organizational 
Leadership; a reservist with the Arcadia 
Police Department; (Six years ago, a question 
arose - what year Officer Matthies died. 
Jack did research and paved the way for the 
joint project ( APD AND AFD) for a new 
headstone.) An Elder at his Church; Jack has 
been married to wife Janet for 41 years; three 
adult children and four grandchildren.

 Jack revealed that our government 
in Washington is responsible for our debt 
of almost 16 trillion dollars. He feels “The 
government has gotten too big. We need to 
shrink down the size of government; have 
smaller governments with self-reliance. We 
need more individual responsibility…with 
my small business experience,…promote 
small business, get us going again, the jobs 
going again.” 

He said that his philosophy and that of his 
opponent were on different sides of the 
spectrum. He feels 2/3 of jobs are created by 
small businesses. “The tax system 
is out of control, and we need a 
balanced budget-the government 
has gotten too big”. 

Jack also said the Health Care 
Act is “horrible” and would like 
it repealed. The tax credits do not 
work for small businesses, and 
insurance needs to be affordable 
for everyone.

 Fred Ortega gave 
Congresswoman Judy Chu’s 
background. In an article several 
months ago, “The Dynamic 
Duo”, I wrote about Judy and her 
husband, Assemblyman Michael 
Eng. a Judy has been in Congress 
since 2008, when she took over 
the vacant seat of Hilda Solis, who 
became Secretary of Labor. Judy 
has worn many hats. She began 
as a math major at Cal State Santa Barbara, 
but transferred to UCLA earning a doctorate 
in Psychology. Judy taught at East LA 
Community College for twenty years. After 
Judy and Mike’s marriage in 1978, they settled 
on Monterey Park. Judy served on the Garvey 
School Board, won a seat on the Monterey 
City Council, served in the State Assembly, 
and on the State Board of Equalization, prior 
to her election to Congress. She has focused 
on jobs and the economy, and salutes small 
businesses. She has worked for funding with 
Congressman Dreier and Assemblyman 
Adam Schiff to extend the Gold Line to 
Claremont. Judy has also written to the 
Secretary of the Interior to convince him to 
make our San Gabriel Mountains a National 
Park area.

 These are two fine candidates, with 
similar stances: promote jobs and improve 
the economy. I am not in the district, so I 
don’t have to choose between them. Every 
voter should go on line and find out as much 
as they can before making a decision.

 At the government forum, there was 
an update on the 710 Freeway Extension 
Project and Environmental Study update. 
Right now, there are twelve different 
proposals/projects. They NEED public input. 
Thursday, August 9, there will be a meeting 
at the Monrovia Community Center (Palm 
Ave.-across from the Library) from 6:30-7:30 
pm. After hearing the public’s input, they 
hope to narrow the choice to five options. 
Please attend if possible.

 Hovanes Gasparian from 
Assemblyman Portantino’s office brought 
info about a joint bill to prevent abuse in 
Youth Boot Camps. (Hovanes NEVER 
misses a meeting-even came out July 5th! 
He always brings Xeroxed copies of bills that 
Assemblyman Porrtantino has introduced or 
has been passed.)

 State Senator Carol Liu, Assemblyman 
Anthony Portantino and Pasadena Police 
Chief Phillip Sanchez held a press conference 
on July 31 to promote this bill to prevent 
abuse at military-style youth “boot camps”. 

 Everyone must remember the graphic 
news reports on TV and in local papers 
released by the Pasadena Police-disturbing 
videos showing abuse, and its director was 
charged with kidnapping, child abuse, false 
imprisonment and sexual assault. Senator 
Liu and Assemblyman Portantino have 
introduced bill SB 1089 to ensure proper 
licensing and regulation of boot camp 
providers.

 These Arcadia Chamber Government 
Forums provide updates from our local 
government officials and usually a special 
guest speaker on varied subjects: Secret Service 
agents spoke of counterfeiting practices; Steve 
Scauzillo, environment and water issues; City 
Manager Dominic Lazzaretto, the state of 
affairs in Arcadia, and today we learned about 
the two Candidates for the 27th District. At 
the close of the meeting, there was mention of 
inviting the candidates for State Assembly and 
Senate at the next meeting-September 6th. 
The Arcadia Chamber of Commerce is at 388 
W. Huntington Drive. www.arcadiachamber.
org See you there!

Left to right: Jack Orswell, Peter Ulrich, Fred Ortego (Congresswoman Judy Chu's District Director)


GETTING YOUR CAR READY FOR 
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 Then, open the hood and examine all the hoses and belts. Replace any that have cracks or 
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and replaced. 

 If the color of the oil is brown or milky, it means that coolant is getting into one or more 
cylinders in the engine. This is a serious problem and needs to be fixed immediately. If you 
do not fix it, you run the risk of blowing the engine. 

If you are uncomfortable about taking the car on a long trip, this is the time to replace it. A 
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pick it up for free. You will get a very nice tax deduction for your car donation. Simple call 
them a 1.866.448.3487 or go to http://www.cars4charities.org/.

Read The Paper Online At: www.mtnviewsnews.comVOLUME 5 NO. 23
SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2011Inside This Edition...
CALENDAR Page 2 
Sierra Madre News Page 3More News Page 4Pasadena/Altadena Page 5Arcadia 
Page 6Monrovia/Duarte Page 7Education & Youth Page 8Class of 2011 Page 9Good Food & Drink Page 10Arts & Entertainment Page 11Legals Page 12Left/Right Page 13Opinion 
Page 14The World Around Us Page 15 
The Good Life Page 16Homes & Property Page 17 
FYI 
Page 18Research Supporting 
Mitigated Negative Dec-
laration Called “Woefully 
Inadequate”
By Susan HendersonOn Thursday, the Sierra Madre 
Planning Commission heard from 
both supporters and opponents of the 
Final Mitigated Negative Declaration 
(MND) for the Alverno High School 
Master Plan. The plan includes 
expansion of the school’s facilities 
that include a 12,860 square foot, two 
story multi-purpose building; a 2,900 
square foot amphitheatre and a new 
multi-purpose sports field to replace 
the existing softball field.
Currently the school is operating 
under a Conditional Use Permit 
that was originally approved in 
1959. Alverno has not done any 
major renovations since that time. 
It is proposing the improvements 
and expansion in order to maintain 
its ability to compete with other 
private schools and maintain its’ 
enrollment. Currently the enrollment 
is approximately 350 young women.
After years of negotiations with 
neighbors and city officials, an Initial 
Study was done in March of this year 
to review the overall impact of the 
project on the community. In May, a 
Final Mitigated Negative Declaration 
was prepared for the Sierra Madre 
Planning Commission. On Thursday, 
the MND was reviewed and the 
commission requested additional 
information from city staff before 
approving the document.
Residents who live in the area sur-
rounding the school are split in their 
opinions of the project. Many of the 
more vocal opponents have lodged 
their complaints with the school and 
the city. As a result, a series of com-
munity meetings were held last year 
that resulted in the school and the city 
mitigating certain issues, but there are 
still concerns being expressed over po-
tential increases in noise and traffic. 
There is also concern about the impact 
of the project on the trees in the path 
of the expansion. 
According to CEQA, a Negative Decla-
ration (or Mitigated Negative Declara-
tion) can be prepared only when there 
is no substantial evidence that the 
project may have a significant effect on 
the environment. And while the city 
has submitted documentation to sup-
port a MND, opponents do not agree. 
The consensus of those opposed to the 
project is that the data used to support 
the MND was “woefully inadequate”. 
Before the MND was submitted 
to the planning commission, the 
state’s clearinghouse submitted the 
application from Alverno to numerous 
agencies for review. Reviewing the 
application to insure that the school’s 
plans would not violate any state laws 
or have an adverse impact on resources 
in the area were the California 
Departments of Fish and Game, 
Parks and Recreation, Transportation, 
Regional Water, Quality Control, Cal 
Trans and the Highway Patrol. In 
addition, the North American Heritage 
Commission reviewed the application. 
Of the agencies contacted by the state, 
only one, Cal Trans, issued a letter to 
the city. In it, the agency asked the city 
to limit heavy construction equipment 
to off-peak hours and to remain 
mindful of concerns regarding water 
run-off.
The planning commission listened to 
speakers on both sides of the issue in 
a marathon session that resulted in 
postponement of any action on the 
MND until July.
The 2011 Election Committee is 
looking for a few more volunteers 
for the Altadena Town Council Elec-
tions on Saturday, June 11. There are 
five polling locations to choose from: 
Charles White Park 77 Mountain 
View Street (Ventura Street side) 
Farnsworth Park 568 East Mount 
Curve Avenue 
Gordy’s 843 West Woodbury Road 
S& J Auto 1904 New York Drive 
Webster’s 2450 North Lake Avenue 
Shifts are:
9:00–11:00; 11:00–1:00 and 1:00–3:00 
We also need ballot counters from 
3:00 to 4:30 at the Davies Building at 
Farnsworth Park. Feel free to take a 
polling shift, a ballot counting shift 
or both!
Email atcelection@yahoo.com to 
volunteer or contact Eric PierceChair- 2011 Election CommitteeAltadena Town Council atcelection@
yahoo.com or call 626 664-4300Alverno's Principal, Ann Gillick, was 
among several from the school and 
contracted specialists who made 
presentations at Sierra Madre's 
Planning Commission recent meet-
ing. Over thirty persons spoke dur-
ing public comment, with only a 
handful of dissenters. The commis-
sion discussed the current iteration 
of the plan until 11 p.m., asking for 
further work from the school. The 
plan will be revisited next by the 
commission in July. Photo by Chris BertrandPost Commander Dave Loera sa-
lutes as Paul Puccinelli performs 
Taps at Memorial Day serviceA standing room only crowd es-
timated at more than 200 people 
turned out to honor the nation’s 
fallen soldiers at Pioneer Cemetery 
today, Memorial Day, at a ser-
vice put on by Sierra 
Madre’s Harry L. Em-
bree VFW Post 3208.
Commander Dave 
Loera presided over 
the ceremony, which 
began with the posting 
of the colors by mem-
bers of the VFW, fol-
lowed by the Pledge of 
Allegiance.. Rev. Pat-
rick Brennan of Mater 
Dolorosa gave the in-
vocation, and Patrick 
and Mary Cronin led 
the crowd in singing 
the National Anthem, 
America the Beau-
tiful and God Bless 
America.
Commander Loera in-
troduced Mayor John 
Buchanan, who spoke 
briefly about Memo-
rial Day, thanking the 
veterans and applaud-
ing the VFW members 
for the spirit in which 
they present the ser-
vice on an annual basis. He asked 
the crowd to remember that “this 
day is their special day, but so too, 
is tomorrow.”
Buchanan then introduced keynote 
speaker Council Member Mary-
Ann MacGillivray. Ms. MacGil-
livray spoke for just under twenty 
minutes, reciting statistics on the 
number of casualties and deceased 
in various wars, and quoting presi-
dents, statesmen, historians and 
military figures. She reminded the 
audience that Sierra Madrean How-
ard Miller, who is buried in Pioneer 
Cemetery, and whose widow, Tom-
mie Anne still lives in town, was 
one of the men who raised the flag 
at Iwo Jima. And she spoke of what 
America is, and that others strive to 
be like America.
“We’re a collective mix of greatness 
and greed, high tech and heart-
land. We are the country of Mickey 
Mouse and Micky Mantle, from 
John Smith to John Glenn and Atlas 
Booster, from Charles Lindbergh to 
Charlie Brown, from Moby Dick 
to Microsoft. We went from Kitty 
Hawk to Tranquility Base on the 
moon in less than seventy years. 
We’re blue grass and rock and roll, 
Marvel Comics and the Bill of 
Rights. In short, we are everything 
that everybody wants to be.”
She spoke of the recent passing of 
a 110-year old WWI veteran, the 
last remaining veteran from World 
War I. And she spoke of the need 
to keep the stories of our WWII 
veterans alive. She then introduced 
the VFW members that had served 
in WWII, allowing each to stand 
and be recognized, and they were 
recognized with a standing ovation 
and a long round of applause.
She introduced Staff Sergeant Ken 
Anhalt, who was a tail gunner on 
B-24 bombers. Petty Officer Gor-
don Caldwell, who served on the 
USS Saratoga, was next, followed 
by Staff Sergeant Art Contreras, 
who served in the Pacific The-
ater and was awarded the Purple 
Heart for his service. Michael Do-
menico, a US Army Engineer who 
served in Belgium, Luxembourg 
and Germany, as well as the Pacific 
Theater. She introduced Petty Of-
ficer Ted Evans, who served from 
1945 to 1949 in the Philippines, 
Japan and China, and Petty Officer 
George Metzger, who served from 
1943 to 1946, including Okinawa. 
“These gentlemen are our World 
War II heroes,” she concluded the 
introduction.
She closed by reciting the third 
verse to America the Beatiful, call-
ing it a “fitting end to this day.” The 
words to that verse are:
O beautiful, for heroes provedIn liberating strife.
Who more than self their country 
lovedAnd mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refineTill all success be noblenessAnd every gain divine!
Following the traditional laying 
of the wreaths by members of the 
VFW, Paul Puccinelli performed a 
flawless rendition of “Taps” on the 
bugle. The service was followed by 
a lunch of sandwiches, chips and 
beverages.
Entire video link: http://www.sier-
ramadrenews.net/?p=2497Photo Story by Jeff Brown at 
http://www.youtube.com/user/
jab3jab48#p/u/0/-izPdOIrVbEHEROES: REMEMBERING AND REMEMBEREDMemorial Day Services Hosted by VFW Post 3208Story and Photos by Bill CoburnPost Commander Dave LoeraVeterans Gordon Caldwell and Art ContrerasALTADENA TOWN 
COUNCIL SEEK-
ING ELECTION 
VOLUNTEERSAlverno Neighbors Remain 
Concerned Over Master PlanThe Class of 2011 - Part I Page 9Subscribe Today!
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