Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 29, 2012

4


Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 29, 2012 


City Appoints Human 
Resources Director

Police 
Looking for 
Gunman in 
Northwest 
Shooting

Geology of 
710 Tunnel 
Proposal 
Discussed 
by Panel

 City Manager Michael Beck 
announced this week the 
appointment of Kristi Recchia as 
the city’s new Human Resources 
Director. Recchia assumes her 
new duties effective October 31, 
city staff said.

 “We looked very hard to find 
the right person who can meet 
the demands of excellence for 
Pasadena and Kristi brings 
a tremendous amount of 
experience and energy for 
human resources.” City Manager 
Beck said. “I’m confident in her 
abilities to meet our employees’ 
expectations while also helping us 
to focus our skills as a customer 
service organization,” 

 Recchia will oversee a department 
staff of 20 and help provide 
human resource services to about 
1,800 full-time employees across 
16 departments. Recchia was 
selected from a nationwide pool 
of 100 candidates.

 “Pasadena is such a wonderful 
city, very diverse, with 
outstanding traditions and a rich 
history.” Recchia said. “I’m very 
fortunate to have been selected 
to join Pasadena’s team and look 
forward to serving here.” 

 
Recchia was a member of the 
Employer Relations Policy 
Committee for the League of 
California Cities from 2008-2010 
and is affiliated with numerous 
professional organizations in her 
field, including, among others, 
the National Public Employer 
Labor Relations Association, the 
Public Agency Risk Management 
Association and the Society for 
Human Resource Management.

 
Local police are asking the 
public’s help in finding a 
shooting suspect involved in 
the murder of a 23-year-old 
man who died of gunshot 
wounds early Wednesday 
after a dispute in the front 
yard of a home on the 400 
block of Stanton Street in 
northwest Pasadena. 

 Police said they responded 
at about 12:10 a.m. to a 
report of multiple gunshots 
in the area of Newport 
Street and Stanton Street.

Witnesses said they saw 
family members put the 
victim, identified as Joseph 
Jones of Pasadena, into a 
vehicle. Police said they 
found Jones in the car after 
pulling the vehicle over as it 
speed away from the scene. 
Paramedics rushed him 
to Huntington Memorial 
Hospital where he died of 
his injuries police said. 

 The suspect was described 
only as an African American 
male in his late teens to 
early 20’s. 

Police said the investigation 
is still ongoing. Officers 
said the shooting was, most 
likely, not gang related. 

 According to reports Jones 
was shot in the upper torso 
although the number of 
times was not given. 

 It was also not immediately 
known if the suspect knew 
Jones. Police also said 
there was no vehicle seen 
involved in the shooting. 

 The area around the 
crime scene was cordoned 
off as investigators used 
police bloodhounds 
unsuccessfully as part of 
the investigation. Police 
continued their search 
Wednesday morning. 

 Anyone with information 
about this incident is being 
asked to call the Pasadena 
Police Department at 

By Dean Lee

 Experts shed light earlier this 
month on just what hurdles 
must be overcome — including 
active faulting, air quality and 
historic preservation — in 
building a proposed 4.5 mile 
tunnel as part of the 710 freeway 
gap closure.

 “For this project, there is a 
variant of geology consisting of 
weak sedimentary rock to very 
strong basement rocks,” said the 
project’s principal-in-charge, 
Stephen Klein. “The faults are 
some of the most important 
factors in the tunneling. All 
of these factors would have 
to be addressed safely and 
cost effectively to construct 
the tunnel alternatives we are 
talking about.”

 Kline was the only panelist, out 
of six, in support of the project. 
Others on the panel included, 
executive director of Pasadena 
Heritage, Sue Mossman, Metro 
board member, Ara Najarian, 
Caltech atmospheric researcher, 
John Seinfeld, professor of 
preventive medicine at USC’s 
Keck School of Medicine, 
Rob McConnell and Caltech 
geophysicist Kenneth Hudnut.

 “If the tunnel is perused, it 
should transect as few faults as 
possible and the less active parts 
of the fault,” Hudnut said. “Select 
a route that is the least steep to 
minimize ventilation problems. 
Design and build it very strong, 
especially at all soil contrast 
points and faults whether they 
are active or not, especially at 
active fault crossings,”

 Crossings could include the 
San Rafael fault, the Eagle Rock 
fault and the Raymond fault 
panelists said. 

Hudnut also said any tunnel 
should be built deep in the 
ground rather than shallow,” 
to again minimize earthquake 
damage, you’d want to prevent 
collapse and protect what is 
above as well as the tunnel itself. 
“

He added, “If tunnel collapse 
were to occur, you can actually 
have the ground surface drop, 
so whatever is at the ground 
surface can collapse in.”

 Historic building could be 
damaged. 

 “If you look at the route being 
considered for the tunnel, it 
is virtually lined with historic 
districts from south to north,” 
Mossman said. “There is 
almost no portion of this route 
that doesn’t pass through, 
or immediately adjacent to 
a historic district, either an 
eligible district with the national 
register, a local landmark 
district, a district listed on the 
national register or some other 
form of historic designation.” 

 Mossman said they were 
concerned that vibrations 
during construction could 
damage historic structures. 
She also said there could also 
be settling of the ground after 
construction. 

 As far as air pollution, Seinfeld 
said a study by USC/UCLA 
in Long Beach in 2002, found 
150,000 particles per cubic 
centimeter, “Normal level is 
about 5,000,” he said. “Pristine 
air would be about 1,000.” 

 “Those of us in the field, air 
quality, urban areas, emissions 
etc., have long considered to 
710 Freeway to be arguably the 
dirtiest freeway in the country,” 
Seinfeld said. In his presentation, 
Klein said all the air form the 
tunnel would be scrubbed and 
the tubes ventilated. 

 Mossman also said air pollution 
can damage historic buildings. 

 With all the other factors aside, 
Najarian said cost alone should 
be reason to scrap the project 
saying the estimates he got from 
Metro officials ranged from $1 
billion up to $14 billion. “That’s 
crazy, right?” 

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 
Tonight for Reopening Of 
Historic Fenyes Mansion

A Ribbon cutting ceremony 
tonight on front steps of the 
Fenyes Mansion, reopening the 
historic landmark to the public, 
will include Pasadena Mayor 
Bill Bogaard, Congressman 
Adam Schiff, and other 
dignitaries’

On hand will be representatives 
from the Paloheimo 
Foundation which funded the 
Mansion repairs; the seven 
2012 Contemporary History 
Maker Honorees, PMH 
Executive Director Jeannette 
O’Malley, and Joan Branin of 
El Molino Questers, which 
funded restoration of some of 
the Mansion’s Oriental carpets.

Since 2010, the 1906 Beaux 
Arts-style Fenyes Mansion at 
Pasadena Museum of History 
has been undergoing a $1.7 
million rejuvenation. 

 Costumed “Fenyes Mansion 
Staff and Family Members” 
will welcome visitors to the 
newly-reopened residence 
with a Downton Abbey-style 
flourish; vintage automobiles, 
entertainers, appetizers and 
cocktails will be featured during 
the reception, at which time 
guests will view the Mansion. 
A seated dinner and program 
follows at 7:30 pm featuring 
vintage-inspired cuisine created 
especially for the evening by 
Patina’s Joachim Splichal.

The ribbon cutting ceremony at 
5:15 p.m. immediately precedes 
the Gala Reopening Benefit and 
2012 Contemporary History 
Maker Awards Dinner and 
marks the first time members of 
the public will be invited inside 
the Mansion since its closure. 

For additional information, 
please visit www.
pasadenahistory.org or call 
626.577.1660, ext. 10.

Parsons 
Takes Part 
in Nuclear 
Conference

 Pasadena based Parsons 
announced that the 
firm participated in the 
3rd Annual Nuclear 
Construction Conference, 
MENA. The 2-day 
conference was held last 
Tuesday and Wednesday at 
Le Royal Meridian Hotel in 
Dubai, UAE.

 Ross Ridenoure, Parsons 
Vice President of Nuclear 
Energy Initiatives and Chief 
Nuclear Officer, spoke 
during the construction 
engineering session, held 
the morning of the second 
day of the conference giving 
a presentation entitled 
“Human Performance 
in High Reliability 
Organizations (HROs)” 
and discussing causes that 
lead to historical disasters, 
the characteristics of HROs, 
and what businesses can 
learn from HROs.

 “Parsons is proud to be a 
participating sponsoring 
of Nuclear Energy 
Insider’s MENA Nuclear 
Construction Conference,” 
said Guy Mehula, Parsons 
MENA+ President. “This 
will be a great opportunity 
for Ross and others within 
Parsons to exchange ideas 
and best practices for the 
future development of our 
nuclear programs.”

 Parsons is currently 
supporting industries 
around the world such as 
nuclear power, defense, 
disarmament, waste 
treatment, homeland 
security, energy, and laser 
research.

Farmers Rose Float to 
Feature Live Wedding


Citizen 
Journalism 
Meet-up

Pet of 
the Week

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

 Farmers Insurance today 
announced “The Love Float,” 
its 54th consecutive entry in the 
Rose Parade, featuring the first-
ever live wedding in the parade’s 
124-year history. Couples can 
enter the “Farmers Insurance 
Dream Wedding” contest on 
Farmers Insurance Facebook 
page through October 14 by 
answering three questions 
describing why they should win 
this magical, romantic moment. 

 The live nuptials will take place 
atop the float while headed 
down Colorado Boulevard, 
in front of over 52 million 
television viewers and another 
900,000 people lining the 
parade route. 

 “Across the country there are 
thousands of couples deserving 
of a history making wedding 
experience,” says Michael 
L. Linton, Enterprise Chief 
Marketing Officer for Farmers 
Insurance. “We’re asking for 
submissions from all corners 
of the country so look around, 
ask your friends and neighbors, 
and see if you can spread the 
word to a couple that deserves 
this unique honor. The “Love 
Float” is a chance for Farmers 
Insurance to honor a great 
American love story.”

 A panel of judges will select 
up to four finalists and the 
American public will vote on 
which couple will win their 
“Farmers Insurance Dream 
Wedding” on “The Love Float” 
at the Rose Parade. Consumer 
voting begins on October 30 
through November 13, and the 
winner will be announced prior 
to the Thanksgiving holiday. 

 The winning couple will 
receive a wedding dress for 
the bride and a tuxedo for the 
groom, his and hers wedding 
rings, hair and make-up for the 
bride on the big day, marriage 
license fees, two tickets to the 
2013 Rose Bowl game for the 
newlyweds and a national 
advertisement opportunity 
featuring a photo from your 
wedding day.

 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 Oct. 2 from 6: 
30 p.m. to 8p.m. at the Pasadena 
Community Network - Studio 
G, 2057 N. Los Robles Ave.

 For more info call 626.794.8585.

 

 Lily is a six-year-old calico 
cat with gorgeous green 
eyes. She’s very friendly 
and affectionate. She loves 
having her head petted too. 
She’d make a great addition 
to a loving home just in time 
for the start of autumn. 

 Lily’s adoption fee is $70, 
which includes her spay 
surgery, a microchip, the 
first set of vaccinations, 
as well as a free follow-
up health check at a 
participating vet. She also 
qualifies for our Seniors for 
Seniors program for eligible 
adopters. New adopters 
will receive complimentary 
health and wellness 
exam from VCA Animal 
Hospitals, as well as a goody 
bag filled with information 
on how to care for your pet. 
Ask an adoptions counselor 
for more information 
during your visit 

 Call the Pasadena 
Humane Society & SPCA at 
626.792.7151 to ask about 
A314288, or visit at 361 S. 
Raymond Ave. in Pasadena. 
Adoption hours are 11-4 
Sunday, 9-5 Tuesday –
Friday, 9-4 Saturday. Pets 
may not be available for 
adoption and cannot be 
held for potential adopters 
from phone calls or email. 
Directions and photos of all 
pets can be found at www.
pasadenahumane.org.

NASA Rover Finds Old 
Streambed on Mars

 

 NASA’s Curiosity rover 
mission has found evidence 
a stream once ran vigorously 
across the area on Mars where 
the rover is driving. There 
is earlier evidence for the 
presence of water on Mars, but 
this evidence -- images of rocks 
containing ancient streambed 
gravels -- is the first of its kind.

 Scientists are studying the 
images of stones cemented into 
a layer of conglomerate rock. 
The sizes and shapes of stones 
offer clues to the speed and 
distance of a long-ago stream’s 
flow.

 “From the size of gravels it 
carried, we can interpret the 
water was moving about 3 
feet per second, with a depth 
somewhere between ankle 
and hip deep,” said Curiosity 
science co-investigator William 
Dietrich of the University of 
California, Berkeley. “Plenty of 
papers have been written about 
channels on Mars with many 
different hypotheses about 
the flows in them. This is the 
first time we’re actually seeing 
water-transported gravel on 
Mars. This is a transition from 
speculation about the size of 
streambed material to direct 
observation of it.” 

 The finding site lies between 
the north rim of Gale Crater 
and the base of Mount Sharp, 
a mountain inside the crater. 
Earlier imaging of the region 
from Mars orbit allows for 
additional interpretation of the 
gravel-bearing conglomerate. 
The imagery shows an alluvial 
fan of material washed down 
from the rim, streaked by many 
apparent channels, sitting uphill 
of the new finds.

 The rounded shape of some 
stones in the conglomerate 
indicates long-distance 
transport from above the rim, 
where a channel named Peace 
Vallis feeds into the alluvial fan. 
The abundance of channels in 
the fan between the rim and 
conglomerate suggests flows 
continued or repeated over a 
long time, not just once or for 
a few years.

 The discovery comes from 
examining two outcrops, 
called “Hottah” and “Link,” 
with the telephoto capability of 
Curiosity’s mast camera during 
the first 40 days after landing. 
Those observations followed up 
on earlier hints from another 
outcrop, which was exposed by 
thruster exhaust as Curiosity, 
the Mars Science Laboratory 
Project’s rover, touched down.

 “Hottah looks like someone 
jack-hammered up a slab of city 
sidewalk, but it’s really a tilted 
block of an ancient streambed,” 
said Mars Science Laboratory 
Project Scientist John 
Grotzinger of the California 
Institute of Technology in 
Pasadena.

Public Input sought In General Plan Update

 

 The public is invited to 
attend any or all of the 
following meetings when final 
recommendations by City staff 
are presented on the update to 
the General Plan Land Use and 
Mobility Elements.

 The staff recommendations 
are based on extensive public 
outreach and meetings 
conducted by the City’s 
Planning Department. The 
public will be able to attend 
any of the City Council, 
Commission, and Committee 
meetings listed below to hear 
the recommendations, view the 
plan and provide additional 
comment.

 The General Plan is the 
blueprint that helps to guide 
policy decisions for development 
in Pasadena. Since 2009, City 
planning staff has conducted 
160 outreach events for the 
public to actively participate in 
the creation of this plan.

 Based on community feedback 
and participation, staff is 
recommending changes to 
the General Plan’s Guiding 
Principles, Objectives and 
Policies and the Land Use 
Diagram. The Draft Land Use 
Diagram is designed to target 
development into the Central 
District, around transit stations, 
and major intersections. 
The goal is to create vibrant 
transit and neighborhood 
villages with easy access to 
transportation, a mix of housing 
and neighborhood-serving 
businesses.

 The four main guidelines 
for the General Plan update 
include: protecting and 
preserving Pasadena’s 
neighborhoods, open space and 
historic resources; identifying 
targeted growth areas; planning 
for walking, bicycling, transit 
and accessibility, and fostering 
economic vitality. The City 
last updated its General Plan in 
1994.

 Public meetings to view and 
comment on the General Plan 
include:

City Council, 6:30 p.m., Monday, 
Oct. 1 and Monday, Dec. 3, City 
Council Chambers, City Hall.

 Planning Commission, 6:15 
p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 10 
and Wednesday, Oct. 24, City 
Council Chambers, City Hall.

Transportation Advisory 
Commission, Special Meeting, 
4:00 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 11, 
221 E. Walnut St., Suite 210.

 General Plan Update Advisory 
Committee, 6:30 p.m., Monday, 
Nov. 15, Renaissance Plaza, 649 
N. Fair Oaks Ave., 2nd Floor 
Room 203.

For more information, call (626) 
744-7310, e-mail generalplan@
cityofpasadena.net, or visit 
www.cityofpasadena.net/
generalplan.